The share of Poles admitting to throwing away food has fallen by 11 percentage points compared to 2023. 22% of respondents stated that they throw away food less often than in the previous year.
Despite this, however, over 5 millions of tons of edible produce still ends up in Polish trash bins every year.
The largest share of surveyed Poles, as many as 27%, declare that they throw food in the bin a few times a month. Another 17% admit that this happens at least a few times a week.
Frequent food waste is primarily due to expiry dates, improper meal planning, excessive shopping and improper storage of food.
Experts point out that the country needs more initiatives that could change this. One of such enterprises is the "Under the Umbrella" spot, run by Warsaw's SOS Food Bank non-profit, which donates and delivers food to those in need.
As per latest 2023 data - 2.5 million Poles live in poverty, and about 1.5 million use aid provided by food banks.
European Anti-Poverty Network's "Poverty Watch Report 2024" informs that over 77% of Polish households using food bank assistance stated that their financial situation had worsened between 2022 and 2023.
More than a half of them admitted that their income was not sufficient to meet basic needs, and more than a third of this group admitted they have experienced "feeling hungry due to financial reasons".
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Source: Newseria