Materially reviewed: 16 September 2026
The latest consolidated WRAP estimate puts annual UK food waste at 10.2 million tonnes. Hospitality and food service accounts for 11% of that total. The estimate combines the most recent available 2021 and 2022 data and was published in July 2025.
Latest UK food-waste figures
| Source measure | Share of UK food waste | Approximate context |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 58% | Largest source by weight |
| On-farm | 16% | Food waste arising in primary production |
| Manufacturing | 13% | Food and drink manufacturing |
| Hospitality and food service | 11% | Includes pubs, restaurants, cafés, contract and staff catering |
| Retail | 2% | Food retail |
Primary source: WRAP, UK Food Waste and Food Surplus – Key Facts, July 2025.
What the 11% figure covers
WRAP’s hospitality and food-service category is wider than event catering. It includes food served by pubs, restaurants, cafés and institutional or contract caterers. It should not be described as an event-catering-only figure.
Applying the published 11% share to the 10.2-million-tonne total gives an indicative scale of roughly 1.1 million tonnes. That is a calculation from rounded WRAP figures, not a separately reported WRAP total, so the percentage is the safer statistic to quote.
Why older figures were removed
Older WRAP studies are frequently quoted as saying that hospitality and food service wasted 920,000 tonnes of food costing £2.5 billion. Those estimates were based on 2011 data and appeared in reports published in 2013. They remain useful historical evidence but should not be presented as current.
Historical sources: WRAP’s Overview of Waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector and The True Cost of Food Waste in Hospitality and Food Service.
Industry action
WRAP’s Food Waste Reduction Roadmap promotes a Target, Measure, Act approach. Its 2024 progress update reported around 690 large UK food and drink businesses committed to the programme, a measure of participation rather than waste tonnage.
Source: Food Waste Reduction Roadmap Progress Update 2024.
Practical implications for catered events
- Confirm guest numbers and dietary requirements before final production.
- Use realistic portions rather than adding the same contingency to every dish.
- Label allergens and dietary dishes clearly to reduce rejected servings.
- Agree safe redistribution or takeaway arrangements before the event.
- Measure leftovers by menu item so future orders can be adjusted.
See our food quantity guide, allergen and dietary policy and UK Catering Data and Trends hub.
