Wasting Food: It’s Out Of Date

WRAP’s new citizen facing brand ‘Wasting Food: It's Out Of Date’ (WF:IOOD) launched to the public on the 16th of October 2020 (World Food Day), to draw the crucial link between wasting food and its impact on climate change.

There’s currently a huge question surrounding the big climate predicament: how are we going to tackle climate change, while feeding a growing global population and encouraging economic development? When looking at the global food system, it’s key to keep sustainability at the heart of every decision made. This means that supply chains, businesses, governments, and every person has an essential role to play.

WRAP’s research found that whilst 81% of people in the UK are said to be concerned about climate change, fewer than 30% see a clear link to the wasting of food. However, our small daily actions indeed have a large combined impact. In the UK, despite our love of bread, bread waste in homes generates 318,000 tons of CO2 annually – the same as 140,000 cars. Yet, if we all came together and stopped wasting bread at home for one year, it could do the same for CO2 emissions as planting as planting over five million trees.

Thus, WF:IOOD has a clear and direct message and will answer key questions from the public about the impact wasting food has on the planet, leading people to make that realization and encourage them to take action. The initial audience of WF:IOOD focuses on 18-34 year old’s and as such primarily uses dynamic videos, quizzes and infographics to drive home these messages and further reach, across social media platforms Instagram and Twitter, as well as a dedicated website.

Within one month of launch WF:IOOD we have had 1.4k followers on Instagram, over two million content impressions and 30 influencers from all over the country engaged to create dynamic, eye-catching content to draw in a bigger audience. The website has been visited 19,432 times since launch, with 13% of people trying out the quiz and learning where they are on the journey to wasting less food.