The major consumer study for Germany, Austria and Switzerland

FOOD WASTE

Food waste is a substantial global problem. It damages our ecosystem and is ethically unacceptable. A key tenet of the ‘food revolution’, which Danone is helping to shape, is that food needs to be valued more than is currently the case. And while the debate about reducing food waste is not new, it is highly topical.

As part of their 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations set a target of halving avoidable retail and consumer food waste per capita by 2030 (compared to 2016) and also committed to reducing food loss along the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. The ‘National Strategy for Food Waste Reduction’, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), is designed to help achieve this goal in Germany.

Danone is not only playing its part, but is even going one step further: we have set a target of reducing our own avoidable food waste within our sphere of responsi- bility by 30 per cent by the end of 2021 (compared to 2016) – and by 50 per cent by 2025. Furthermore, we attach great importance to playing an active role beyond our own sphere of responsibility and working to develop solutions that can reduce food waste along the entire value chain.

In our capacity as a food manufacturer, a key part of this responsibility is to educate consumers on how they can reduce food waste within their own households. We aim to inspire consumers to adopt a more sustainable app-roach to handling food. We have compiled this study in tandem with Too Good To Go in order to gain a better un-derstanding of how people think in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is designed to serve as a starting point for our ongoing work, the aim being to ensure that even more food ends up where it belongs – on the plate and not in the bin.

We see ourselves as part of a wider movement involving various actors, all of whom are combating food waste. We would like to encourage you to share your ideas about the issue with us.

Dear Reader,

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Sina Kneis Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability Danone D-A-CH

A third of all food is wasted worldwide; in Germany, this amounts to 18 million tonnes per annum. Too Good To Go is committed to achieving a world in which the food pro-duced is actually consumed. We aim to inspire everyone to help save food. With this in mind, we have developed a simple solution: with the Too Good to Go app, we put bake-ries, supermarkets, restaurants and other food providers in touch with consumers to ensure that surplus food ends up on plates – and not in the skip. Working in conjunction with our network of partners and the Too Good To Go commun-ity, we have already saved more than 8.5 million meals since we launched in 2016 – thus also saving more than 21,250 tonnes of harmful CO2e.

Many people are unaware that reducing food waste is the most important lever in terms of bringing down CO2 em-issions and thus taking action to stop the climate crisis. If we are to meet the goal of halving food waste by 2030, it goes almost without saying that all actors have to roll up their sleeves – politicians, businesses, educational insti-tutions and consumers. An extensive data set helps us to identify potential starting points in different areas. First and foremost, the current consumer study in conjunction with

Danone indicates that there is already awareness within so-ciety for the issue of food waste – and that there is a desire to handle food more sustainably in the future. This is an encouraging insight. There is, however, still a lack of specific information about reducing food waste in the home, e.g. in relation to the best-before date. We target precisely this point with our ‘Often still good’ campaign, which seeks to promote a more critical understanding of the BBD with the additional slogan ‘Look. Smell. Taste.’ In doing so, we have clearly struck a chord with the population.

We can already safely say that we are on the right track. It is important that we continue to invest more heavily in raising awareness of the topic of food waste and educate the Ger-man public more effectively – to make sure that food waste gradually becomes a thing of the past.

Laure Berment Country Managerin Too Good To Go Germany

Dear Reader,

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THE STARTING POINT

Food loss and food waste arise when edible food is lost anywhere within the value chain, whether at the level of farming, at the level of processing and pro- duction, in stores or at the end of the chain, i.e. in the hands of consumers.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 30 per cent of food is wasted across the entire value chain worldwide, accounting for 8 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. No less than 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food is unnecessarily thrown

away every year, with 135 million people threatened by acute hunger. In Germany alone, 18 million tonnes of food are unnecessarily thrown away each year.

What happens when we throw away less food? We in- crease the availability of food for the people who are most at risk. We reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We ease the pressure on land and on water resources. We boost productivity and economic growth. In short, we make the planet a little bit better for everyone.

The representative three-country food waste study was conducted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by market research institute INNOFACT in June 2021 and – on behalf of Danone and Too Good To Go – examines attitudes to food waste, shopping habits and personal approaches to handling expired food.

The respondents were recruited from the INNOFACT Con-sumer Panel. A random sample were invited by email to complete the online questionnaire. Each respondent was only able to access the online questionnaire via a per-

sonal transaction authentication number, thus preventing respondents from completing the questionnaire more than once.

In Germany and Switzerland, n = 1,000 respondents per country took part in the online survey, whereas n = 1,014 respondents took part in Austria. The sample was rep-resentative in terms of age, gender, region, educational background and occupational situation and only included individuals who are at least jointly responsible for the purchasing of food.

30 %of food is wasted throughout the

supply chain

contributing

to total global greenhouse

gas emissions

8 %

THE STUDY

¹ Source: FAO, 2013² Source: UN World Food Program, April 2020³ Source: WWF, 2017

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The majority of consumers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are aware of food waste and its impact on the environment. Alongside the need to conserve environmental resources, ethical responsibility was named as the main problem of food waste. The majority of respondents feel that it is their responsibility to actively avoid food waste. However, they

also expect retailers, restaurants and the food industry to take decisive steps to prevent food loss.

Consumers demand the following from producers: optimisation of internal company processes, better infor- mation to explain the best-before date (BBD) and use-by date and educational materials/tips on the subject.

More than 50 per cent of respondents named ‘taste’ as one of their top three factors: 59 per cent in Germany, 56 per cent in Austria and 54 per cent in Switzerland.

Whereas the factors ‘low price’ and ‘product health benefit’ are of similar relevance in Germany, health plays a much more significant role than price in Switzerland. What’s more, Germans attach considerably more import-ance to a product’s brand than respondents in the two neighbouring countries.

In Austria, much more weight is placed on regional origin – ahead of even price and health considerations. Com-pared to consumers in the two neighbouring countries, Austrians are more focused on buying organic products. Austrians also place much more value than German and Swiss consumers on ensuring that no food is subse-quently thrown away and on food not being packaged in plastic.

In all three countries, men tend to place more importance on price than women.

According to the survey, the three main factors when it comes to food shopping are:

1. taste

2. healthy foods

3. low price

THE RESULTS – IN A NUTSHELL

FOOD WASTE IN TERMS OF SHOPPING

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In all three countries, more women than men regard food waste as a very significant problem. Es- pecially in Austria and Germany, significantly more women than men recognise the problem in their own country, as well as its impact on the environment.

Even leaving gender to one side, the problem of food waste in the respondents’ own country is perceived much more frequently as (very) significant in Germany and Austria, compared to Switzerland: 87 per cent in Germany, 84 per cent in Austria and 78 per cent in Switzerland.

Similar numbers take care to ensure that they do not throw away or waste any food. Roughly two thirds of consumers in Austria and Germany, and just under 60 per cent in Switzerland, regard the impact of food

waste on various environmental aspects as (very) signifi-cant. Only less than 5 per cent believe that food waste does not have any impact whatsoever on the environment.

Roughly 40 per cent of respondents in each country believe that it is ethically unjustifiable to throw away food and indicated that environmental resources are also squandered as a result of food waste. About one

in five respondents, however, consider the waste of manu-facturer and producer resources to be the main problem.The ethical standpoint represents the biggest problem for the oldest consumer group (up to 69 years of age).

THE PROBLEM IS RECOGNISED – SLIGHTLY MORE OFTEN BY WOMEN

How big would you rate the problem of food waste here

in the country?

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About half of respondents (more women than men) in all three countries prefer unpackaged products

that result in no packaging waste but that may mean a shorter shelf life.

Respondents in all three countries regard themselves as chiefly responsible for avoiding food waste. They indicated that they do this most often by means of the following:

In particular, women and older consumers en-sure correct storage and the consumption of left-overs. At the same time, they would like to receive more guid-ance to help them improve their own measures.

Smart solutions and the taking of food to food sharing stations represented the least frequent measures, with 25 to 30 per cent.

1. correct storage

2. Eating/reusing leftovers

3. targeted food shopping

ONUS ON CONSUMERS

Which of the following statements do you tend to agree with in this context?

To what extent do you take the following measures in your household to reduce the amount of food you throw away?

I prefer UNPACKAGED products without packaging waste,

which may not last as long as a result

I prefer PACKAGED PRODUCTS

(including packaging waste), which means that the products may have

a longer shelf life

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However, consumers do not feel that they bear the sole responsibility. They also attribute considerable responsibility to food retailers, restaurants and industrial food producers. To some extent, Austrians attribute more importance than the Germans and Swiss to individuals

and institutions when it comes to avoiding food waste. It is notable that the Swiss take a particularly moderate view and attribute a much lower level of responsibility to all indi-viduals and institutions responsible.

The respondents – especially those aged 50 and above – also see themselves as being on the front line of efforts to fight food waste. They regard others in their household or circle of friends as less committed than themselves. Across the board, these groups of people

are considered to be more committed to combating food waste than the agriculture sector, food retailers, industrial producers and lawmakers. Only about 20 per cent of re-spondents believe that lawmakers are suitably committed to tackling the issue.

Consumers believe that it is chiefly the duty of industry and institutions to provide better information. In all three countries, a need for more specific infor- mation on the subject (e.g. from food retailers, manu- facturers and the media) is seen as a measure in the

fight against food waste: 39 per cent in Germany, 41 per cent in Austria and 44 per cent in Switzerland. The younger generation (16- to 29-year-olds) in all three countries is particularly keen to receive more information and guidance.

MORE HELP TO AVOID FOOD WASTE

Which of the following possible measures would personally help you to throw away less food?

Multiple answers possible.

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But consumers also want to see other measures. In Germany and Austria, the second most common de-mand was the simplification of food donations to charitable organisations (37 per cent) – stated much more often by women than men.

Other key approaches to avoiding food waste in all three countries include price reductions for foods approaching the best-before date and tips on how best to store food.

From industry, respondents most frequently want to see the following: better explanations of the best-before date on packaging to help avoid food waste. Germans and Aus-trians see a much greater benefit here than the Swiss. Moreover, respondents want company processes and cooperation with other actors in the value chain to be coor-dinated in such a way that food waste is minimised.

What would you like companies that make, process or distribute food to do to motivate others to fight food waste?

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In respect of dairy products and plant-based alternatives, another main reason is products being past their best-before date. It’s worth noting that all

reasons for throwing away food – both in general and for dairy products – become less common as con- sumers become older.

Just under 30 per cent of respondents stated that they never throw away any food – a trait that was par-ticularly common amongst people aged 50 and

above. The majority of respondents (roughly one in two) do, however, throw away one to two handfuls of food in an average week – not including shells/skins, etc.

The most common reasons for throwing away food are:

1. Products spoiling/going bad too quickly

2. Uncertainty as to whether products are edible

3. Products no longer visually appealing

FOOD WASTE: WHY? HOW MUCH? WHAT EXACTLY?

How often do the following reasons apply to you when

throwing food away?

Please estimate: how much food do you throw away on average in a week,

apart from the skins of fruit etc., Or parts that are not edible?

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Discarded food typically includes fruit, vege- tables, bread and leftovers of prepared meals. About a quarter of respondents, however, at least occasionally also throw away dairy products (including cheese), as

well as meat/lunch meats. In a comparison of the three countries, the Swiss are somewhat more circumspect and indicated that they throw away all stated food categories much less often, especially cheese.

On average, respondents in all three countries believe that about half of discarded food did not need to

have been thrown away or that its disposal could have been avoided.

Consumers can rely on their noses. About 80 per cent of respondents smell food to check whether it is still good. In all three countries, significantly more women check food using their sense of smell. At least 70 per cent of re-spondents in each country use sight as the main way to check; in Germany, this is particularly common amongst respondents aged 50 and over, and much more common amongst women in Austria. About 60 per cent in each country taste the food and/or check the best-before date. Germans are a little braver when it comes to tasting: 62 per cent do the taste test here, compared to 59 per cent in Austria and just 55 per cent in Switzerland.

These methods – smelling, looking, tasting – are parti-cularly common when a food product is already past its

best-before date. What’s more, products past their best-before date are used as quickly as possible. Men in Ger-many are particularly uncertain in this regard; they are particularly likely to ask other people for their opinion on whether or not the product has gone bad.

The ‘Past my date?’ label is effective – when it is used. If a label to this effect were included on food packaging, al-most three quarters of respondents would follow the ad-vice and check the food again using their various senses.

CRITERIA FOR CHECKING SHELF LIFE

Please indicate how often the various product groups are thrown away or disposed of in

your household.

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When consumers are deciding whether to eat or bin food products, the best-before date is a key factor in respect of meat/lunch meats, eggs, egg products and dairy products.

In Germany, the best-before date plays a much larger role in terms of bread, pasta and convenience foods than in Austria and Switzerland. Austrians, on the other hand, rely much more on the best-before date when it comes to spreads. Older people are generally more re-laxed about the best-before date. Consumers between 16 and 29 years of age are more likely than average to be uncertain about dairy products and rely on the best-before date.

In all three countries, there is a need for more in- formation about best-before and use-by dates. The majority of respondents are aware that manufacturers guarantee that unopened food products will, if stored correctly, retain their specific properties until the best-

before date: 89 per cent in Germany, 89 per cent in Austria and 86 per cent in Switzerland.

More than 40 per cent, however, incorrectly believe that the manufacturer’s guarantee still applies to food pro-ducts that have been opened. Moreover, about half of respondents in Germany and Austria, and almost 60 per cent in Switzerland, believe that the best-before date applies to particularly perishable foodstuffs. But this is the job of the use-by date.

And this is also the subject of confusion. Even though about 70 per cent of respondents know that the use-by date is mandatory for particularly perishable and sensitive foods, there is still considerable uncertainty and need for clarification about what the date actually means. Almost two thirds of respondents, for instance, believe that it is a recommendation about the date by which a food product should be eaten, but it is actually the last day on which it is safe to eat.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BEST-BEFORE AND USE-BY DATES

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Acknowledgements

July 2021Study conducted by INNOFACT AG Research & ConsultingNeuer Zollhof 340221 DüsseldorfGermany

Press enquiriesDanone Germany Dr Susanne Knittelsusanne.knittel@danone.com+49 (0)160 97 24 30 25

Danone Austria Sigrid Eckhardt sigrid.eckhardt@danone.com +43 (0) 67 688 21 12 15

Danone Switzerland Philippe Aeschlimann philippe.aeschlimann@danone.com +41 (0) 44 306 40 81

Too Good To Go GermanyJohanna Paschekjpaschek@toogoodtogo.de+49 (0) 179 426 59 88

Too Good To Go AustriaStefanie Krenn skrenn@toogoodtogo.at+43 (0) 67 688 83 22 20 Too Good To Go SwitzerlandJessica Jocham jjocham@toogoodtogo.ch +41 (0) 76 230 52 93