Why one in four Australians hates eating leftovers in the office

Australians are fuelling an unhealthy food waste epidemic, with one in four people saying they hate gobbling down leftovers at work — and Millennials are leading the charge. This is why.

Darren Robertson and Magdalena Roze want Millennials to eat leftovers, instead of a new or purchased meal. Picture: Supplied

Australians are fuelling an unhealthy food waste epidemic, with one in four people saying they are too embarrassed to gobble down leftovers at work.

According to a new study, 86 per cent of people prefer to eat new or purchased meals rather than last night’s dinner.

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More than 1000 people were quizzed as part of the research commissioned by Australian Lamb, with the results highlighting a concerning food waste trend.

Millennials fared the worst, with 59 per cent saying they’re embarrassed to eat leftovers with friends.

This compared to 64 per cent of Baby Boomers who were not shy about sharing leftovers.

A key driver behind our increasing food waste seemed to be Australia’s preoccupation with the foodie movement.

Almost half of the respondents said leftovers are not inspiring the next day, and despite a third of people wanting to eat leftovers, they don’t know how to make it taste amazing.

According to FoodWaste Australians are throwing away roughly $1,036 of food every year.

While the National Waste Report 2018 revealed we produced 4.3 million tonnes of food waste in 2016-17.

On the back of the research conducted by McCrindle, Australian Lamb is joining with celebrity foodie couple Darren Robertson and Magdalena Roze to encourage people to eat there leftovers and of course use lamb to create tasty multi-day recipes.

“Leftovers are great and they taste just as good, if not better, the next day,” says Robertson.

“Proteins like lamb are so diverse and can provide you with many meal choices for several days – a big win for everyone considering our busy lifestyles.

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“Our top tip would be to think about the ingredients you have rather than the meal as a whole – leftover mince can be used as a pizza topping or in a lettuce cup or vegetables can be put into a frittata.

“Another good tip is to not make anything too spicy, that way you can use it for the kids lunches the next day.”

In terms of tips to reduce food waste Australian Lamb recommends getting creative and reinventing leftovers in new meals the following day.

Australians are also being reminded that cooked red meat stays fresh in the fridge

for up to four days.

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