More than £1bn of food wasted before reaching supermarkets – study

Wrap report finds 3.6m tonnes of food is thrown away or fed to animals each year in the UK

More than 1bn of food destined for UK supermarkets is thrown away or fed to animals before it leaves farms every year, according to a study highlighting the scale of the country's waste problem.

Crops rejected by retailers because they do not meet quality standards, fluctuations in demand or problems during storage or packing all contribute to 3.6m tonnes of waste in primary production, more than 10 times the amount thrown away by retailers, says a report by Wrap, the waste-reduction body.