Photo credit: Aga Malik.

Christmas period generates over 15% of the UK’s annual food waste. After just a couple days of festive celebrations we will throw away more food than during any other month. This year an estimated 4.2 million roast dinners will get binned, which is 15 times more than an amount needed to provide a Christmas meal to every homeless person in England.

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For many, who try to end this difficult year on a positive note, creating the holiday spirit now is more important than ever. Christmas food is arguably the most enjoyable element of the tradition. However, every year it is also wasted in overwhelming amounts. An estimated 1 million tonnes of festive roast dinners gets binned each Christmas.

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This year the problem might be even more prominent, since most people will not be spending Christmas in their usual big family gatherings. As a result, each household will require significantly less food. Considering this year, when most people tried to implement many frugal habits, food waste seems like an important issue to tackle.

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Abbey Sharp, a dietician and cookbook author, said Christmas will be a challenge but also an opportunity  “We really get a chance to reconsider our plans and think about how much food we really need. Or what to do with it if we buy too much. There are so many solutions and throwing away food is literally the worst way to go about it.”

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There are numerous reasons why food waste is this big of an issue, with sustainability being one of the key ones. In a 2020 survey conducted by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), 39% of UK residents made a strong link between food wastage and climate change. WRAP’s study suggests also that the carbon footprint associated with the food wastage produced by UK’s households is equivalent to that generated by 20% of cars on the British roads.

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Even though it is a problem of several sectors, such as hospitality and retail, 70% of food waste in the UK is actually produced by households. Beatrice Simonetti, a nutrition and health student at University of Roehampton and an author of It’s Not Just Food blog, says there is a simple way that individuals can make a difference – “Just go vegan.”

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While it is not a realistic option for everyone, it certainly touches on an important subject. Each year 2 million turkeys gets thrown away over Christmas. Turkey is the most environmentally friendly choice of meat, compared to a roasted ham or beef, which produce a significantly higher carbon footprint. However, binning 2 million units of poultry still wastes enormous amounts of water and energy used in the production.

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Simonetti pointed out several ways in which Christmas wastage can be significantly reduced. Planning ahead of shopping, as well as working out how to make the most out of each food product purchased are the key skills. Most of the traditional Christmas dishes are also freezer friendly and can be stored that way long after holidays.

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“Christmas food waste is a big part of the sustainability problem, but if you look at it in the scale of the whole year, it really shows how much there is to be done on daily basis.” Simonetti noted. “If we learn how to reduce food waste in everyday life, we’ll know how to deal with Christmas as well.”

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While the impact of food wastage on the environment is an everyday concern, requiring long-term solutions, the most prominent issue for society this year is money. With many businesses closing and people losing their jobs due to the global pandemics, financial hardships are another reason to consider a more frugal Christmas dinner.

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WRAP’s survey suggests that on average, a British household wastes the equivalent of eight meals per week. This adds up to a yearly spending of £810 getting thrown away to the bin. To put that into perspective, an average family is expected to spend £20 per person on this year’s Christmas roast. This equates to 40 portions of festive dinners being wasted every year by each household.

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For the majority of 2020, Sophie Sierpinska, an amateur home cook, has been put on the government’s furlough scheme. Similarly to over 9 million British employees, her pay for the past several months was only 80% of what she was used to getting. While she considers herself fortunate, compared to thousands of people who lost their jobs, 20% of the salary for a low-income bartender is a significant amount of money.

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Sierpinska, who is used to visiting her family in Poland for Christmas, this year spends the holidays with her partner in London. While merging Polish and British traditions on a tight budget might be challenging, she found an interesting way to enjoy all Christmas foods this season.

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“If we can have the decorations and Christmas tree for a whole month, I thought, why not do that with food. There was no way the two of us could eat 12 traditional Polish dishes on Christmas Eve, and then a whole roast dinner the day after.”

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Enjoying a diverse range of Christmas dishes for various meals from the beginning of December was not only a great way for her to get into the holiday spirit, but also an easy method to control the budget. She mentioned that during her family Christmas there was always an issue of fitting all the leftovers into the fridge and force-feeding everyone on the following days to prevent the wastage. “Not an issue this year,” she said.

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While the environmental and financial implications of food wastage are a big part of the problem, this year in particular the ethical reasons to cut on the waste should be enough to reconsider the Christmas plans. “In a year when we’ve encountered empty shelves in shops and so many people lost their jobs, mindless shopping and wasting food is just insensitive,” Sharp said.

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The latest statistics provided by the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank network, show the number of three-day emergency parcels given to people in need. Last year the group distributed 1.9 million parcels. The mid-year review in 2020 shows a significant increase, with over 1.2 million packages given in just half a year.

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The food bank’s representatives warn that the busiest time of the year is still ahead. In their official press release statement, the Trussell Trust predicted a 60% rise in the emergency food parcels requirement over the winter and Christmas period. “Our research finds that Covid-19 has led to tens of thousands of new people needing to use a food bank for the first time,” Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said.

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While it is difficult to share perishable goods and already prepared dishes, all food banks will gladly accept any pantry items. There are plenty of options for anyone looking to share their shopping with the ones in need. Many food banks have their local bases. The majority of grocery shops, schools or churches will also have a box for donations.

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Sharp, who consulted her local Toronto food bank about the nutritional values of food packages, commented on the human aspect of a Christmas emergency parcel. “It’s Christmas. Food is obviously the number one issue, but any hygiene products or toiletries are just invaluable this time of the year. People who struggle to feed their kids can’t even consider getting any gifts. A shampoo or cheap perfumes can really put a smile on someone’s face.”

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Considering the environmental implications, a vision of hundreds of pounds saved by every individual, and not forgetting about millions of those less fortunate can really go a long way. Organising frugal Christmas is not only a way to spend this challenging holiday season. It is an opportunity for society to learn how to limit wastage in everyday life and on every Christmas onwards.

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“You can always make sure you’re not buying too much. Make a list before shopping. If you do, you can always share, support the food banks. If you prepare too much, you can freeze it or make sure you eat the leftovers first. Be creative, share with your neighbours... There are so many things we can do before throwing the food to the bin, that there should really be no excuses for it,” Simonetti said.