UK is ‘falling behind on sustainability’

In spite of a huge rise in awareness of the impact of food production and waste on the ever-growing threat of climate change, the UK is still falling behind in sustainability responsibilities, according to new research. A new poll by KBK has revealed that, although half of people surveyed said that sustainability has become more important to them in the last 12 months, one in two Brits bin food as they can’t use fresh produce fast enough, with 80% of the waste being fruit and vegetables.

Greater London topped the survey of 2,000 people from across the UK regionally, with one in three not believing that they can make a difference by shopping sustainably and over 10% saying they waste food all of the time. Yorkshire and The Humber topped the list for lack of sustainability, as nearly one in four of those surveyed do not care about sustainability at all. 

The survey also revealed surprising results on a decrease in meat-eaters nationwide, with the UK seeing a rise in vegetarianism and flexitarianism. The 16 to 24 age group proved to eat the least amount of meat, with half of those surveyed being non-meat-eaters compared to just two in 10 for the over 55 age group. 

Bethany Trundle, marketing manager for KBK, said: "We conducted this research to get a clearer understanding of not only how sustainable the British public are, but also to understand whether they feel they can make a difference. We are here to tell you that every decision you make to become more sustainable makes a real and significant difference."

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