Families dump ready meals after horsemeat scandal
British families threw away more than 13,500t of food in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, a survey revealed.
Nearly 18m packets of processed food – including sausages, burgers and meat pies – were dumped after beef products were found to be contaminated with horsemeat.
The ICM research was conducted on behalf of Tefal’s Fresh Week (13-19 May), which aims to encourage consumers to eat fresh food.
The kitchenware manufacturer said it showed the scandal had a positive effect on eating habits, with shoppers becoming more aware of the health risks of processed ready meals.
Nearly one in four (24%) adults questioned by ICM said they had reduced the amount of processed food they eat. Almost one-third (30%) said the scandal had put them off processed meals.
Almost 2.8 million people said they had thrown away processed ready meals. People also said they were eating more British fruit and vegetables.
ICM researchers interviewed 2,007 people between 5-7 April.