More than half of UK adults (51%) say they have unwittingly bought out-of-date food from supermarkets, according to new research suggesting £11.8bn worth of groceries are thrown away each year.
The average adult in the UK bins groceries worth £17.90 a month – the equivalent of £214.27 every year, the poll found.
Almost half (49%) said food went off before they could use it, a third forgot what’s in their fridge and one in five admitted they regularly misjudged portion sizes.
Based on a national representative poll of 2,000 UK adults, carried out by OnePoll from 25 to 29 September, the GS1 UK-commisoned study revealed 66% of people admitted to binning food because they weren’t sure if it was safe to eat.
GS1 said the poll results demonstrated the need for the rollout of the sort of next generation QR codes it was pioneering with the likes of Tesco.
In April, the supermarket giant launched a pilot using QR codes powered by GS1, which replaces traditional barcodes on 12 own-brand meat and produce lines. The trial focused on capturing use-by dates and batch numbers, enabling Tesco to assess how QR codes could improve date code accuracy and reduce food waste.
GS1 said other retailers around the world were also exploring next-generation barcodes that could help prevent out-of-date items being sold and reduce household waste.
The smart QR codes hold more information than traditional barcodes and can connect every product to live data on expiry dates, storage tips, sourcing and more – improving food safety and helping shoppers make informed choices.
The poll follows a recent £640,000 penalty given to Asda for selling out-of-date food at two Cardiff stores. GS1 said that with growing pressure on ESG reporting, retailers and consumers needed smarter solutions.
Anne Godfrey, chief executive of GS1 UK, said: “These findings highlight the need for clearer guidance and more solutions to tackle food waste.
“Recent supermarket fines prove just how important accurate stock management and clear labelling are. UK retailers must address the food waste challenge head on and adopt smarter solutions that empower consumers to waste less and make better-informed choices.”
Colin Peacock, group strategic co-ordinator at ECR Retail Loss, said: “Exploring how QR codes with embedded date information can be scanned at the retailer’s point of sale – and block the sale of out-of-date products – has been a focus of our research for the last five years.
“Retailers such as Woolworths and Mercadona have regularly shared updates on their scaled deployments.
“We are excited about the potential of QR codes not only to prevent expired products being sold, but also to improve replenishment and productivity while streamlining product recalls.”
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