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To further understand the true cost of food waste in industry, Balloon One compared food waste data in relation to the average amount of food a person needs per day:

• The manufacturing and processing sector produces the largest amount of food waste at 1.9 million tonnes, which is enough to feed everyone in the UK for 16 days.
• The agriculture and primary production sector produces 1.6 million tonnes of food waste
• The hospitality and food service sector produces 1 million tonnes of food waste

Food waste is not only a financial issue but an environmental one too. When people throw away food they are also wasting water, energy and space that’s been used to grow the food.

According to research there are 8.4 million people in the UK who are living in food insecure homes. The amount of food waste produced by the sector is enough to feed everyone here in the UK and tackle the country's food poverty crisis.

Commenting on the data Craig Powell, managing director at Balloon One, said: "The true cost of food waste in the supply chain really is shocking. With so many families going without meals, the food we're wasting is enough to feed everyone in the UK for over a month. Clearly there are steps we need to take as an industry to reduce our waste.

"The sheer amount of food we're throwing away is enormous, and it's vital that every business does their bit if we want to make a difference, and each sector must work together to have the biggest impact. The good news is that most of our food waste can easily be avoided and is largely due to an inefficient supply chain holding things up and wasting valuable time. And, when it comes to perishable items like food, time is of the essence at every stage.”