Local campaign fights against home food waste

Friday 09 June 2023

A new campaign has been launched to encourage islanders to reduce avoidable food waste and save money.

The 'Big Save' campaign – launched by the Government of Jersey and the Channel Islands Coop – encourages the use of the food waste app, Kitche.

The app, which has previously been awarded App Of The Day on Apple's App Store, allows users to create a virtual kitchen and shopping list.

Using this, Kitche sends notifications to remind people to use products before they go off, and suggests recipes to help them do so.

Pictured: The Kitche app reminds users to use products before they go off.

Research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in the UK suggests that UK households throw away 6.6 million tons of food waste each year – three-quarters of which could have been eaten.

It is estimated that the average family can save up to £780 a year by cutting down on food waste.

Kitche Co-founder and CEO, Alex Vlassopulos said of the scale of the problem: "People are always quite shocked when we tell them about the scale of the home food waste problem; it accounts for 70% of the UK's total food waste.

"In Jersey, the average household bin contains 35% kitchen waste." 

Pictured: In Jersey, the average household bin contains 35% kitchen waste.

He added: "We know we can help people reduce the food waste in their homes and when we team up with such significant partners we know the messaging and campaign is so much stronger."

Jane Burns, the Government's Sustainability & Climate Change Engagement Manager, said: “Reducing the amount of waste we produce is an important part of tackling the climate emergency.

"Kitche is a great app that can help islanders reduce food waste and save money."

Pictured: The average family can save up to £780 a year by cutting down on food waste.

Carl Winn, Head of Sustainability and Community, Channel Island Coop, added: “At the Coop we’re committed to making a difference in our community.

"Having the support of an app like Kitche will make it so much easier for our customers to reduce their food waste.

"It’s a very smart platform and we think our customers are going to love using it.”

'The Big Save' campaign will run for 9 months leading up to the UK-wide Food Waste Action Week in March 2024.

To find out more about the Kitche Food Waste App, you can click HERE

Pictured top: Carl Winn, Head of Sustainability & Community, Coop, and Jane Burns, Sustainability & Climate Change Engagement Manager, Government of Jersey.