PRESS RELEASESHousehold waste to increase 50% this Christmas in a quarter of homes

​NEW SURVEY FINDS QUARTER OF IRISH PEOPLE WILL SEE HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE INCREASE AT LEAST 50% THIS CHRISTMAS

New data has found that a quarter of Irish residents anticipate their households will generate at least a whopping 50% more food waste this Christmas compared to the rest of the year. The research, commissioned by Too Good To Go*, the world’s #1 anti-food waste app, revealed that this was especially true in counties such as Meath, Laois, Monaghan, Clare and Louth with up to 60% of the population in those localities expecting to increase their food waste this festive season by half.

This could mean as much as 1.5kilos of food waste per household this Christmas, up to 1.8million** kilos of food waste across Ireland going to landfill in December.

The report also found that bread is the most wasted food over the holidays, followed closely by vegetable dishes (28%) and fruit (25%).

Though often overlooked, food waste is the third-largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with 10% of emissions a result of food waste. Speaking of the findings, co-founder of Too Good To Go, Jamie Crummie commented, “The results from our research in Ireland are mirrored throughout the Western world and our aim is to change that, one meal at a time. We’re keen to raise awareness of how much food waste contributes to climate change in households and businesses alike. Since launching in Ireland two months ago over 200 Irish hospitality outlets and retailers have now signed up to the app all with the mission to reduce their own food waste. Dublin alone has saved over 10,000 meals from going to waste by purchasing Surprise Bags bringing the global total to a whopping 100 million, an incredible achievement in the short lifespan of this social enterprise. There’s a hunger for change and we’re here to feed it.”

If you’re interested in fighting the good fight either as a consumer or a business, you can do so by downloading the Too Good To Go app and sign up your business by accessing the ‘Help Center’ function in the ‘More’ section.

Find out more about the movement at www.toogoodtogo.ie and follow @toogoodtogo.ie on social media to stay updated

ENDS

Notes to Editor

*The research, commissioned by Too Good To Go was conducted by Markettiers with a nationally representative sample size of 500 adults in the Republic of Ireland

**Based on the 1,195,467 contained family households reported by the CSO

About Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go has a simple mission: to make sure all food gets eaten, not wasted.

In 2016, a group of entrepreneurs witnessed restaurant staff throwing away fresh food. The food’s only problem? It hadn’t sold in time, and no one was around to take it off the restaurant’s hands. The group pioneered a seamless solution: an app that lists businesses’ unsold food so local diners can find, buy and enjoy it.

Now, thousands of Surprise Bags are rescued from businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries every day. The success of the app powers Too Good To Go’s wider efforts to drive a food waste movement, working with schools, industries, and governments to build a planet-friendly food system.

Too Good To Go by numbers:

• 17 countries
• 100 million meals saved globally
• 47 million app installs globally
• 125,000 partner stores globally
• 2020 became a registered B-Corp

Only one in 10 (10%) people say they don’t create any food waste at Christmas, with one in four (25%) saying they produce at least 50% more than usual

164 euro is the average amount people in the Republic of Ireland expect to spend on food this Christmas; approximately one in 10 (11%) expect to spend more than 300 euro

Bread (30%), vegetable dishes (28%) and fruit (25%) and the top three kinds of food most likely to be thrown out at Christmas in the republic of Ireland

Almost 1 in every 5 of those questioned estimated that they waste about a kilo of food in a typical week

Christmas can be a challenging time for food waste. The research found that 1 in 5 Irish residents anticipated that their households would generate a whopping 50% more food waste this Christmas compared to the rest of the year. This was especially true in counties such as Kildare, Meath, Laois, Monaghan,Clare and Louth with up to 60% of the population in those localities expecting to double their food waste this festive season.

The study showed that almost a quarter of respondents (23%) plan to spend up to €300 on food this Christmas

Bread is cited as the food that is most likely to be wasted this holiday season (30%) with vegetable dishes (28%) and fruit (25%) following closely.

PR Contacts:

Belinda Hallworth - PR Manager

bhallworth@toogoodtogo.co.uk

+447519993364

Lucy Bennett - Marketing Manager

lbennett@toogoodtogo.ie

+353830454688