STORY: #saveourbuns from Too Good To Go

A new survey into hot cross bun consumption in the UK has found that almost 10.5 million hot cross buns are expected to be wasted this Easter. 

Commissioned by Too Good To Go, the world's largest surplus food app, the survey found that while the average Brit will buy 4.5 hot cross buns this Easter weekend, one in five households will have Hot Cross Buns leftover. 

According to the findings, if all 10.5 million leftover hot cross buns were eaten, we’d save 1,835 tonnes of CO2e from being wasted. That’s the equivalent of the yearly CO2e emissions of 216 people, or the same as that emitted by 361 flights around the world.

When looking into the reasons for hot cross buns being wasted, of those households who have leftovers, a third (32%) buy too many for their household, a quarter (24%) let them go stale, and a quarter (24%) forget about them. What’s more, over a third of those who usually have hot cross buns leftover never repurpose them into other dishes. In fact, only 13% of Brits would find another use for a hot cross bun if it has passed its best before date. 

This Easter, Too Good To Go is calling on consumers to #SaveOurBuns and ensure that no hot cross bun goes to waste. As well as providing tips and tricks to keep buns fresher for longer and delicious recipes to repurpose surplus hot cross buns, Too Good To Go is partnering with retailers, and bakeries to launch special Easter bakery Magic Bags on its app so that consumers can save the delicious bakery goods from going to waste from local shops. 

Paschalis Loucaides, UK Managing Director of Too Good To Go, said: “It’s shocking, but also not surprising, to hear that so many hot cross buns might go to waste this Easter. We know that products with a short shelf life, like fresh bakery goods, are often the first to be discarded when they pass their best before date.

"That’s why this Easter we’re launching our #SaveOurBuns campaign to combat it. We’re calling on all Brits to ensure that they buy what they need, and eat what they buy this Easter, whilst also doing their bit to help their local shops to reduce food waste through our app. Together we can take a bite out of the food waste problem and ensure that all hot cross buns are enjoyed and not wasted.”

Too Good To Go lets people buy surplus food and drink from pubs, restaurants, retailers and producers to stop it from going to waste. Consumers simply download the free Too Good To Go app and search for nearby businesses with unsold produce. They then purchase a ‘Magic Bag’ of unsold food, collect it at an allotted time and enjoy it. 

For more information on Too Good To Go visit www.toogoodtogo.co.uk