A Tayside foodbank chief has said he is shocked that tonnes of food continue to be binned every day.
Following the publication of a food waste survey, Angus Foodbank chairman Derek Marshall said it came at a time when demand had never been higher.
A poll by Opinium Research found 37% of Britons regularly throw away basic items while 32% said the size of packets and portions sold in supermarkets is too big for them to use by the sell-by date.
Mr Marshall said he was shocked that tonnes of wholesome food continue to be thrown away every day.
There has been a huge increase in demand for foodbanks in Angus and volunteers have fed 3,100 people since October 2012, a third of whom have been children.
Mr Marshall said: “I think this survey simply confirms that there is far too much food waste in our culture.
“It’s even more shocking to see these figures in our present environment, which is one where demand for foodbanks has never been greater.
“There has been a huge increase in demand across Angus and we again expect to feed double the number we did in the previous 12 months.
“Angus Council has recognised that foodbanks are a necessity in this current climate and has provided additional storage and office space at Gravesend in Arbroath free of charge to Angus Foodbank in addition to storage and office space already provided in Forfar.
“Once that is up and running we will have distribution centres in operation in Montrose, Brechin, Forfar and Arbroath, making it easier for people to drop off food rather than throwing it out.”
Mr Marshall said one problem is the large size of packets and portions sold, especially with more people now living alone.
He believes it is a case of continuing to educate people about the importance of handing in unwanted items.
Mr Marshall said there is a tie-up between Tesco and foodbanks nationally that has helped to boost collection rates. Now he hopes people will think twice so the UK can improve its poor record of wasting food.
Lack of planning is the most common cause of food wastage with 42% regularly throwing away food, saying they often do so simply because they forget to use it in time.
Around 16% said discounts lead to them buying more food than they need.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said that major supermarkets produce just 1.3% of UK food waste but the grocery retail supply chain accounts for 4.1 million tonnes of food waste around 27% of the total.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, defended the sector’s record, saying that retailers provide environmental and sustainability information on labels, in their in-store magazines and on their websites.