Food Waste Survey 2023

Can kiwis do more to reduce food waste?

Highlights from the latest survey:

• New Zealanders are wasting less of their food than a year ago with the estimated percentage of household food waste dropping to 12.2 per cent from 13.4 per cent in 2022.
• However, growing household food spend and an increase in the number of households, mean the overall value of wasted food across New Zealand continues to rise and now totals $3.2 billion per annum (up from $3.1 billion in 2022).
• New Zealanders remain the most concerned about ‘the wasted money’ resulting from food waste, with this cited as a key concern by 74 per cent of respondents.
• Food going off 'before you can eat it’ (50 per cent) and “before use by and best before dates’ (32 per cent) are the reasons most frequently cited for food waste.
• Kiwis’ understanding of food labelling has improved since the last survey, with close to two-thirds now correctly identifying the definition of a best-before label.
• New Zealanders in Gen Z (aged 18-26) estimated they wasted significantly less than last year (19.2 per cent form 28.2 per cent), however they continue to be the most wasteful of all the age groups.
  
  

  *Based on national claimed average of annual food spend per household, national claimed average of annual food wasted per household, national average number of individuals per household, and the number of New Zealand Households.