Long-life milk confusion causes waste
In a survey conducted by the firm, 79% of respondents said they were chucking milk away because it had gone off.
Further responses indicated many consumers avoided long-life versions because of misunderstandings about it.
More than one in 10 of those replying to the survey said they thought long-life milk wasn’t real milk. Almost half believed it wasn’t as good for them as chilled milk and nearly two fifths (37%) incorrectly believed it contained added preservatives.
Nearly two thirds (64%) said they had rarely or never used it. Almost eight in 10 (79%) said they did not know it could be stored outside of a refrigerator for more than six months without spoiling.
Caught short
Tetra Pak compared this with other consumer responses indicating a third of survey respondents had been caught short without milk in the past fortnight.
And it said despite three in five (60%) people responding to the survey saying they felt guilty doing it, more than a third (35%) had poured milk away in the past month.
The Waste & Resources Action Programme estimates that the UK wastes more than 360,000t of milk a year, costing £280M. Tetra Pak claimed that figure could be dramatically cut if more shoppers bought into long-life milk.
“Long-life milk has some clear benefits that we know people would find useful,” said Andrew Smith, marketing manager at Tetra Pak UK & Ireland.
Save money
“For example, nearly half (46%) of those we spoke to in our research said they would be more likely to buy it once they realised it can help them save money and cut food waste.
“That’s why we want to debunk some of the myths and misunderstandings that might be stopping people taking advantage of it.”
Emma Marsh, head of Love Food Hate Waste, said: “Food waste is a serious problem that not only costs us money but damages the environment, too. For many of us, milk is an essential item that we don’t want to be without, but we end up wasting a lot of it.
“Keeping a supply of long life milk in the cupboard is one way to help you manage your milk better, cut down your waste and save money.”
