42 percent of Poles admit to throwing away foodstuffs , primarily bread, cold meats and fruit reads a recent report prepared by the Federation of Polish Food Banks, showing that the tendencies in 2019 remain similar to results from 2018.
The survey showed that the main reason for discarding food is that it is addled or past its sell by date .The Federation also surveyed food purchasing habits among Poles which showed that bread is bought every second day , and that more attention is paid to the packaging and the look of the foodstuffs than to the expiration dates. For example , reads the study, Poles tend not to buy fruit or vegetables which are not shapely or have a wrong colour.
The survey also found out that only every tenth of the respondents sets out with a list of purchases, the majority do their shopping spontaneously.
In addition to the survey , the Federation of Polish Food Banks has prepared a guidebook “Zero Waste in Your Home” ,with simple tips on how to prevent food waste. Among the ideas suggested are first and foremost well thought purchases, methods of food storage ( and here the guidebook lists ten points on how to use the fridge), also methods of preservation of food like freezing , pasteurizing or pickling . The guidebook also reminds that shopping for foodstuffs is not advised when one is hungry , because it increases the risk of bringing home a huge quantity of foodstuffs, which will not be used.
The Federation of Polish Food Banks is a non-governmental organization which aims to combat food waste in Poland .It comprises 32 local Food Banks with the status of association or foundation, focusing on food gains and free distribution, often through charitable institutions . The banks acquire annually over 80 tonnes of foodstuffs which they distribute to over 1,6 million needy. The foodstuffs come from producers, farmers, shopping chains and collections.
SOURCE PAP