Many UK shoppers sold out of date food as £11.8 billion worth of groceries binned each year
51% of UK shoppers say they’ve unknowingly bought out of date food from supermarkets, as new research from GS1 UK finds £11.8 billion worth of groceries are thrown away each year.
2,000 people were surveyed for this.
The average adult in the UK throws away groceries worth £17.90 a month - the equivalent of £214.27 every year. 49% said food goes off before they can use it, a third forget what’s in their fridge and one in five misjudge portion sizes.
Three-quarters believe clearer labelling would help reduce waste, and 71% say supermarkets must do more to tackle the issue. Consumers also want retailers to act more responsibly with unsold stock - 72% want food nearing its use-by date donated to charities and 69% support discounting near expiry items. A third want better inventory and demand forecasting.
Tesco and other leading retailers around the world are exploring next-generation barcodes that can help prevent out of date items being sold and reduce household waste.
Colin Peacock, Group Strategic Coordinator at ECR Retail Loss, says: “Exploring how QR codes with embedded date information can be scanned at the retailer’s point of sale - and block the sale of out of date products - has been a focus of our research for the last five years. Retailers such as Woolworths and Mercadona have regularly shared updates on their scaled deployments.”
"We are excited about the potential of QR codes not only to prevent expired products being sold, but also to improve replenishment and productivity while streamlining product recalls.”
These QR codes, powered by GS1 standards, hold more information than traditional barcodes and can connect every product to live data on expiry dates, storage tips, sourcing and more.
Anne Godfrey, Chief Executive at GS1 UK, says: “These findings highlight the need for clearer guidance and more solutions to tackle food waste. Recent supermarket fines prove just how important accurate stock management and clear labelling are. UK retailers must address the food waste challenge head on and adopt smarter solutions that empower consumers to waste less and make better-informed choices.”
The study also revealed 66% of people admit to binning food because they weren’t sure if it was safe to eat. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 83% admit to throwing away produce they were unsure about - totalling £309 in discarded food each year. Those aged 25 to 34 waste even more, averaging £409 annually - nearly double the national average.
28% feel guilty about the produce they throw away and 43% feel it’s a waste of money. 47% would happily use scannable codes to track expiry dates and receive app alerts when products in their fridge were approaching their use by date. 42% would have greater trust in a product’s freshness if they could scan a QR code that provided this information.
35% would support a legal requirement for all food products to include these codes linking to up-to-dates, storage and expiry advice. QR use is becoming mainstream with younger shoppers: one in three adults have scanned a QR code on food packaging, rising to two-thirds of 25–34-year-olds.
Godfrey adds: “Scanning smart QR codes can help retailers track expiry dates, rotate stock and discount items nearing their best-before date - stopping out of date items being sold to consumers at the point of sale and reducing household waste.”
“QR codes powered by GS1 can empower both retailers and households to make smarter choices. They have the potential to provide clear storage tips, recipes for leftovers and alerts when items are nearing their use-by date.”
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
QR codes were a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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