Kiwis have self-reported that they waste less food at Christmas, yet food waste still occurs, and we may not even notice it.
New research from Love Food Hate Waste NZ has shown that while many households have adopted better strategies, managing festive food waste has remained a persistent challenge.
According to the research, which surveyed over 500 households across New Zealand, Kiwis tend to adopt better food waste habits over the holiday season. Using leftovers, planning meals, and shopping with a list all increase during Christmas week compared to an ordinary week.
Some key findings from the study suggested that one in five households self-reported no food waste during Christmas, and over nine in ten households claimed only to waste one 2L container or less of food. m
Around a quarter of households attributed their Christmas food waste to overcooking and not using leftovers, with the pressure to provide a large variety of dishes contributing to the problem. A quarter of households wasted more poultry, pork, and seafood during Christmas than at other times, driven by traditional holiday feasts.
Nearly a third of households faced challenges with limited storage space, while one in five expressed concerns about food safety, particularly with food left out during festive gatherings.
Despite best efforts to reduce waste during the holidays, a closer look revealed food waste was still a challenge, with excess food often going unnoticed or underappreciated.
"Our findings suggest that while many Kiwis believe they waste less food during Christmas, there’s still waste happening; we’re possibly just blind to it," said Juno Scott-Kelly, Marketing & Communications Manager for Love Food Hate Waste NZ.
"With our festive goggles on, it’s easy to overlook those extra servings or the food left out too long, but it all adds up."
The study found that leftovers not used (42 percent), too much-cooked food (26.1 percent), and too much food bought (16.2 percent) were the main drivers of food waste during the festive season.
Limited storage space (35.1 percent), hard-to-judge and prep-cooked foods (27.5 percent), and food safety issues (23.3 percent) were cited as the top three barriers to reducing food waste at Christmas time.
"Many of these barriers/causes of food waste stem from Kiwis not considering portion sizes when planning their festive meals and how they’ll utilise the inevitable leftovers. This often means we cook more food than necessary, with challenges around lack of storage space and food safety kicking in,” added Scott-Kelly.
“By setting fridges and freezers to the right temperature and having a good clear out to make space for the festive influx, we can all get ahead of Christmas to ensure none of those special meals ends up in the bin.”
While the report showed that New Zealanders ate leftovers better during the festive season than during an average week, leftovers or uneaten food off plates were still the most common food wasted, followed by vegetables, bread, and fruit. The only types of food that were significantly more likely to be wasted at Christmas were poultry, pork, and seafood.
"Switching to festive foods, particularly meat, creates new waste patterns. Because these items are often seen as special or have been bought in larger quantities to cater for different tastes, we see a rise in these categories over the festive season. We also tend to see more of it wasted as concerns around food safety increase and over-catering occurs.”
Scott-Kelly added that during the holiday season, when meals often lingered on the table longer, it was essential to get them in the fridge within two hours. This simple step was crucial for food safety and ensured that the time, effort and money spent on preparing special holiday meals were not wasted.
Recognising these challenges, LFHWNZ launched a Chill Out initiative to equip Kiwis with essential tools for meal planning, food storage, and food safety during the festive season.
