Hungarians Shop Consciously, Yet, Waste a Lot of Food

The majority of Hungarians admit to consciously buying food, paying attention to the expiry date of food, yet they produce 65 kilograms of food waste annually, resulting in an annual loss of HUF 45,000, the Hungarian Food Bank Association told the state news agency MTI on Monday.

According to the statement, the association, the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and Electrolux Hungary conducted a nationwide, representative survey on attitudes and reasons related to food waste at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. 

The survey highlights the contradictory attitudes of Hungarians: while 8 out of 10 Hungarians feel uncomfortable throwing food away and a similar proportion consider food waste a major global problem, they still throw away food worth HUF 45,000 per person per year.

The majority admit to buying consciously, many know what is in their fridge and pay attention to the expiry date of food, yet households waste a significant amount of food.

In addition, only 45% of respondents knew that the ideal temperature for a fridge is 0-4 degrees Celsius. This is important because, for example, at 6.5 degrees Celsius, many foods and dishes spoil prematurely in the fridge.

The research also showed that people most often throw away leftovers, baked goods, vegetables and fruit. The main reason for wastage is that they sometimes buy too much food and prepare too many meals. Fresh fruit and vegetables spoil too quickly in households due to poor storage and refrigeration practices, and people take too little time to plan their shopping and prepare their meals.

The research also showed that there is a need for more information, with 82% of respondents wanting more information on the environmental impact of products on packaging. The best way to reduce food waste, according to respondents, is to teach children about food waste prevention at school and to provide adults with more information on the subject.