Food waste isn’t funny. It’s incredibly serious. Though tackling such subjects with unrelenting severity isn’t always the best approach.
We can promote action, raise awareness and be positive all at once, can’t we?
Yes. Yes, we can. And one of our clients, Baker Street (a maker of bread and other baked goods), is doing just that.
Before we dive in, let’s back up just one second so we’re all on the same page food-waste-wise. Just last month a new study into our progress of tackling food waste was published. This showcased some fairly worrying numbers but at its core was resoundingly positive.
Here are a few stats¹ just to quickly get you up to speed with the state of affairs…
The bad news:
1. UK households throw away 4.5 million tonnes of food every year that could have been eaten.
That’s £14 billion worth, which equates to £700 / year for the average family.
I know. That’s a lotta dough…
2. Household food waste represents 70% of all food waste triggered after the food is grown or produced.
Yep – 70%! That is quiiiiiite an enormous percentage (we need to do better at home!).
The good news:
1. Between 2015-2018 household food waste has fallen by 6%, from 7.1m tonnes to 6.6m tonnes.
Progress!
2. A reduction of 4% in the supply chain shows there’s progress from businesses on the issue.
This is again massively positive, showing businesses are much more invested in playing their part in reducing food waste.
And it’s at this point it’s where we get to our client Baker Street. A business in the food industry that is taking it upon itself to help the cause and make it easier for customers to reduce their waste.
Baker Street was aware of the issues we faced with food waste and armed with the fact that bread was one of the biggest contributors to household food waste, wanted to create a product that actively tackled that fact. They bake bread that is packed in a uniquely clean way and that arrives quickly onto supermarket shelves. This combination means Baker Street bread lasts much, much longer and the consumer is much, much less likely to throw it away. The loaves are even designed to be the perfect amount for a small family or couple to get through well within the time they last.
For Baker Street, fun is very much at the heart of the brand and that doesn’t stop when we’re communicating the issue that’s at the heart of the product and why it came into being.
We can keep our content cheeky for Valentine’s Day while still getting the main product USP across too…
We’ve seen an incredible reaction from consumers, who engage with the fun and humorous content first and then become invested in the quality and multi-faceted benefits that come with wasting less.
If you’re someone who regularly chucks out mouldy bread (we’ve all been there, don’t berate yourself too much) give Baker Street a look. It really does last much, much longer. Oh and follow them on Instagram while you’re at it.
References
1. The Food Waste Reduction Roadmap Progress Report 2019: https://wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Food-Waste-Reduction_Roadmap_Progress-Report-2019.pdf