Survey shows that people in Slovenia handle their food responsibly

In April and May 2019, an in-depth survey on food waste was carried out in the Invisible Life of Waste project. The project team was mainly interested in why people in Slovenia waste so much food and how the amount can be reduced.

A preliminary analysis shows people most commonly buy their food in larger stores. The majority of respondents, almost 90%, produce their own food or get it from relatives and acquaintances; however, the share of the received food is relatively low in comparison to all consumed food. Respondents claim to throw away a small portion of food, most of them less than 20%. They mostly throw away inedible and spoiled fruit and vegetables, bread and cereal products. Most respondents re-use redundant food or freeze it for later use. At first glance, results show that respondents have a very attentive attitude towards food. However, it is necessary to draw attention to the problem of online surveys, which are mainly responded by the interested public, that is people who are well aware of the issue and in addition committed to solving it. More detailed results of the survey will be available in the coming months and will be supplemented by qualitative (ethnographic) study in households to check what people actually throw away.