•40% of Brits admit to wasting more food than usual over Christmas, and 43% overbuy as they are scared of running out of food

• Bread, brussels sprouts, and potatoes take the top spot for most thrown-away items

•‘Santa's Sl-AI-gh’ comes to town as food waste app Too Good To Go partners with AI artist Tom Furse to reveal the true extent of food waste over Christmas

•Sophie Trueman, Managing Director at Too Good To Go UK and Ireland shares creative recipes for Christmas leftovers

[LONDON, 18th DECEMBER 2023] The festive season is upon us and with it comes copious amounts of presents, parties and of course… food. However new research by Too Good To Go reveals that unwanted presents aren’t the biggest problem this Christmas, it’s unwanted food. The research reveals a shocking 40% of Brits admit to wasting more food than usual over the festive season - not a ho-ho-ho for our global food waste problem.

That’s why The UK's #1 food saving app Too Good To Go has partnered with digital AI artist Tom Furse to visually reveal the extent of food waste over the Christmas period – demonstrating the breadth of the food waste problem by showing a life-sized sleigh filled with a mountain of food going to waste which is perfectly edible.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis continuing to bite, a third of Brits (31%) admit to spending up to £100 extra on groceries in the two weeks before Christmas, with over a quarter (27%) spending up to £200 extra, and over one in seven (14%) spending nearly £300 extra on groceries - that’s almost three times the average family weekly shop.

When it comes to festive food waste, Brits admit the top reasons for overbuying include:

1.Being scared of running out of food (43%)

2.Catering to a lot of different food preferences (43%)

3.Being tempted by food offers and discounts (32%)

4.Not knowing how much food is enough for the people they are catering for (29%)

5.Being worried the weather will change and they won’t be able to get to the shops (15%)

Too Good To Go is unwrapping the truth about food waste, revealing the top 10 items most likely to be gobbled by the garbage (or maybe the Grinch) on Christmas day…

1.Bread (34%)

2.Brussel sprouts (27%)

3.Potatoes (19%)

4.Carrots (18%)

5.Christmas pudding (16%)

6.Turkey (16%)

7.Parsnips (16%)

8.Mince pies (15%)

9.Cranberry sauce (14%)

10.Stuffing (10%)

But Brits are also channelling their inner Scrooge (some might say the original food waste pioneer) when it comes to leftovers. Almost half (46%) eat Christmas dinner again in the days following, four in ten (40%) make special Christmas sandwiches (perhaps even the famous Moist Maker from Friends!), and a third (28%) cannily freeze leftovers. A fifth (21%) even admit to serving up the goods to their pampered pets - so it’s a merry Christmas for dogs and cats as well!

The best gifts aren’t frankincense, myrrh and gold, but delicious leftover recipes. So, this Christmas, why not mix things up with your leftovers? Sophie Trueman, UK and Ireland Managing Director for world's largest surplus food app Too Good To Go - has put together some thought starters.

"It's shocking to see how much extra food is bought and then wasted at Christmas", says Sophie. "At Too Good To Go we're on a mission to empower people to avoid unnecessary food waste over the festive season with just a few simple tips. Remember it's not about getting recipes perfect, it's about making something delicious from food that would have otherwise gone to waste, and sharing it with people you love."

TINSELTASTIC TURKEY TIPS

•Cook your leftover turkey meat into a pie filling with your choice of herbs, softened leeks, vegetable stock and creme fraiche. Layer it into a shell of puff pastry and enjoy with a side of steamed greens.

•Create a flavour-packed ramen bowl complete with strips of turkey, dried shiitake and crunchy bean sprouts.

•Pile turkey meat onto a pizza base along with your favourite pizza toppings. Try mozzarella and red onions, adding cranberries for a final festive flourish.

•Adapt your favourite chicken or tofu curry recipe to incorporate turkey instead.

VEGGIE VICTORIES

•Toss your roasted vegetables together with fresh ones - think leafy greens and tomatoes. Whip together your choice of dressing to create a tasty potato salad.

•Whisk eggs together along with some flavoursome extras - think chopped spring onion or cheddar cheese. Pour the mix into a baking tray and distribute the roast vegetables evenly. Bake until set, puffed and golden brown for an easy baked tortilla.

•Fry the vegetables in a hot pan along with extras such as onions and red peppers to create a roast vegetable hash. Add your choice of herbs, spices, and leftover Christmas meats.

SLEIGH-ING SPROUTS

•Create pesto by blending roasted brussels sprouts, garlic, lemon juice and your choice of toasted nuts. Enjoy stirred into a bowl of steaming pasta.

•Create a leek and brussels sprouts gratin. Take your brussels sprouts and bathe them in a cheese sauce. Then top with breadcrumbs, bake and serve.

POTATO PRESENTS

Too many potatoes? Then mash them to make some delicious dishes:

•Make fish cakes by mixing equal portions of mashed potato and smoked fish. Blend in an egg, then add your choice of herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Fry both sides until golden.

•Use your mash to top a hearty shepherd's or fish pie.

•Whisk your mash together with flour, eggs, baking powder, chives, and milk, creating a tasty batch of potato pancakes.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING CRACKERS

•Create a festive sundae by piling spoonfuls of pudding atop ice cream, then drizzling your choice of sweet sauce over the top.

•Create Christmas pudding truffles by mixing leftover pudding with molten dark chocolate. Add a splash of festive liqueur - think rum or brandy - then roll the mixture into small balls. Coat the truffles in chopped nuts, then chill.

•Put an extra Christmassy twist on trifle: simply replace the sponge fingers with crumbled Christmas pudding.

BONUS PIGS IN BLANKETS

•Whip up a fluffy Yorkshire pudding mix to create a Christmassy toad in the hole.

•Combine your pigs in blankets with whisked eggs and vegetables, then fry into a flavour-packed frittata.

MINCE PIE MARVELS

•Crumble mince pies over scoops of ice cream.

•Create mince pie brownies. Simply make your favourite brownie mix recipe, then crumble leftover mince pies into the finished mixture right before you pour it into the tray.

BREAD-Y TO GO THIS XMAS

•If you save sliced bread, remember to store it in the fridge when you get home. This way it will last much longer, extending its expiration date. Always remember to use your senses before consuming it – look, smell, taste!

•If your bread has dried out, you can spray the crusts with water or place a damp cloth over the loaf for a few minutes. Then, try putting it in the oven for a few minutes, so it will recover its crunchy texture.

- ENDS -

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This research was carried out between 30th November and 5th December 2023 by Research Without Barriers. The sample comprised 2,006 adults across UK & Ireland.

For more information, please contact TGTG@ketchum.com

About Too Good To Go:

Too Good To Go is a certified B Corp social impact company that connects users with partner stores to rescue unsold food and stop it from going to waste.

With over 78 million registered users and 140,000 active partners across 17 countries across Europe and North America, Too Good To Go is the world's #1 marketplace for surplus food.

Since its launch in 2016, Too Good To Go has saved over 220 million meals from the bin, the equivalent to 550,000 tonnes of CO2e avoided.

According to Project Drawdown (2020), fighting food waste is the key solution to solving the climate crisis.

Visit Too Good To Go.com/en-gb or follow Too Good To Go on social media to learn more.

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