Food Waste MinimisationA consumer facing campaignJuly 11th 2007

Agenda

Setting the scene The communications approach Campaign framework

Food wasteProblem statementAs consumers we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food and at least 50% of this could have been eaten**. Most is sent to landfill which produces harmful green house gases.

WRAP ObjectiveReduce consumer food waste being sent to landfill by 100,000 tonnes by March 2008

** the other 50% is inedible food waste such as teabags and chicken carcasses

Delivery of this target is dependant on the success of:

A consumer-facing campaign The development and roll-out of innovation

aimed at reducing household food waste Support in the delivery of both of the above by

key partners & stakeholders (including Courtauld Commitment signatories)

WRAP & Food Waste

Our vision

People buy the food they need and get the most out of the food they buy. As a result we dispose of hardly any edible food

Emphasis on familiesWith

childrenUK Households

Who are we talking to?

EnvironmentallyAware andFood lovers

Advocates:

Affluent, >55yr, female, empty nesters

A Challenging Environment

• Cost, availability & choice

• More unplanned shopping trips

• Lack of time– 19 min to prepare a meal

• Lack of knowledge \ interest

• Drop in average household size

• Moves towards shorter shelf-life

51% of people are unconcerned about the issue of

food waste

Food waste blindness is widespread…

only 13% are receptive to, and actively engaged with, food waste

90% of us claim to waste

little food

Source: WRAP Food Waste Research Summary

……though hidden, good intentions remain

23% of us claim to actively dislike wasting

good food

9 out of 10 of us claim we are not opposed to making an effort to reduce

food waste

Source: WRAP Food Waste Research Summary

Communications Strategy

To lift our ‘food waste’ blindfolds and encourage positive action

By; Grab attention and increase the

level to which individuals are personally concerned about their food waste

Increasing awareness of the relationship between food we waste and its environmental /economic impact (facts)

Supporting the individual’s ability to address the problem by enabling access to solutions

Messages will focus on

Facts

To drive up awareness

Guidance

To make it easy to act

Values

To create the personal

conviction of the need to act

Approach To develop a co-delivered campaign to encourage the public to

waste less food The approach is multimedia and integrated

– PR supported by..– Advertising– Web – and viral

Critical co-deliverers to develop grass roots engagement are– Retailers– Devolved Administrations– Local Authorities– Community/Outreach Groups ( Peer groups)

Critical partnerships to give clarity/illuminate an aspect of the campaign e.g FSA, media partners, Good Food Show

The Mindshift strategy

Fully integrated media approach Advtg engages us emotionally with hard hitting news

and acts as the catalyst for PR PR leads the debate, engages opinion formers,

recruits role models and drives consumer interest in relevant lifestyle context

Web content is part prescribed and part user-generated with social networking element

Community activity provides essential link to personalisation and reinforcement

We grab attention….and get people talking

We make it personal. What’s in it for me?How do we personalise the campaign so people will: Understand the relevance to them? Understand the personal benefits of doing

something Have a personal conviction of the need to act Find it easy to act

Motivations for changing behaviours

It’s a waste of money (68% of those bothered BL)– Of all Exodus diary respondents, three quarters will change

because of the financial cost– Also, 19% of BL respondents who are bothered by food

waste, say they cannot afford to throw away good food It’s a waste of good food (45%) Its bad for the environment (20%)

– A half of all Exodus respondents cited the environment as a reason to take action to reduce food waste

Social consciousness and self awareness– 36% of those bothered said they felt guilty by food waste– Of the Exodus diary respondents, 4 in 10 cited the Third World

and / or doing the diary as reasons to change behaviour

food needs our help to

achieve its one objective

in life

The one thing we want to say

…to be eaten

Some of the key personal behaviours we seek to influence are:

Encouraging the planning of meals e.g thinking about what’s in the cupboard /freezer/fridge ; store cupboard meal staples ..

Encouraging people to make informed decisions about food use vs disposal; acknowledgement of food date labels and use of leftovers

Helping people judge the amount of food they want to eat, and avoid cooking more than they need

Encouraging people to store food to keep it at it’s best for longer, and to eat food before it goes off

Celebrate the enjoyment of food and being knowledgable about food - bust some myths and misunderstandings

Stimulate ourconcern and

engage us emotionally

focus on positivebenefits of our

actions

includesimple and clear

actionsTold in an interesting

way

Use selective , hardHitting facts

make food the hero

Positive tone. Use ‘guilt’ positively

Be inclusive– ‘WE, not YOU’

Dohelp us get

themost out of

the food we buy

Campaign“do’s”

Use aggressive imagery

and negative focus on food as waste

Be afraid ofbeing

lighthearted

Use contraryfacts

demand unrealisticbehaviourchanges

Be blaming, finger-pointing

Or show starvingchildren

Don’tGive us a reason NOT to change

Positionsupermarkets

as the ‘fall guys’

Campaign“don’t s”

Distinquishing Minimisation & Diversion

Look for synergies (& avoid conflict \ confusion)

HealthFoodSafety

PackagingWhat to do withfood waste

Food Campaign - PR

Julia Falcon

Starting to Raise Awareness

•March 2007 publication of Research Summary Report

•Significant media activity and consumer reaction

Media LFHW - PR Launch

• Media launch October – 90% in denial – including journalists

• A venue where journalists and stakeholders will WANT to come

• Resonance and association with food

• Opportunity to stage photocall

• Possible to dress it and stage some theatre

• “Experiential event” – hands on for guests

• Output: writers & journalists can write about their own experiences, not just statistics• Fire up new debate about LFHW

Consumer LFHW - PR Launch

“ITS NOT ME, ITS SOMEONE ELSE”

• 90% of us are in denial – so how come 6.7m tonnes?

• Come and have a go at home – LFHW DAY to recognise our own waste

• “Look at what I do in the kitchen, how I cook, what we eat & what goes in the bin”

• Feedback- test the tips, post your tips and advise

Watch this space…