Are food Instagrammers really to blame for food waste?

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Taking a photo of tacos with a phoneImage source, Thinkstock

A new study suggests young people are wasting food because they want to make their meals more Instagram-friendly.

"86% of us admit buying ingredients for one specific recipe, knowing we will struggle to use it elsewhere," according to the report, external for Sainsbury's.

It suggests under-35s are especially likely to experiment.

Which may be because they're inspired by Instagram to buy ingredients they will never use again. Za'atar anyone?

But can you really blame social media for the UK's food waste problem?

Not everyone agrees., external

Izy Hossack is a 20-year-old student and food blogger, with over 220,000 followers on Instagram.

She says that the site could be partly to blame.

She posts recipes and pictures of her food online., external

"You might see an Instagrammer or food blogger using an ingredient that otherwise you wouldn't buy, like coconut sugar or lucuma powder, then you'd use it in a smoothie, decide you don't like it, then you're like 'OK I've got a whole bag of this now.'"

But she thinks that there are other, bigger culprits for food wastage than online bloggers.

"I feel like if a TV chef is using an ingredient, it's more likely that they'll influence people to buy something," she says.

"Half of the time people on Instagram don't even make the recipes - they're more likely to scroll on through to look at other stuff."

Food bloggers aren't just to blame, says the study., external

The study doesn't just blame the Instagram generation - it cites three other "bin-fluences" (don't ask) of food waste.

They are a lack of awareness, a failure to plan your food shop and not enough guidance on how to reduce waste.

Most of the ingredients Izy uses for her recipes are not really that weird, as you can see from her fridge.

Image source, Izy Hossack
Image caption,

Is that a can of squirty cream hiding in the side door?

And she does eat pretty regular-looking meals, too: compare this dish she posted online...

Izy's risotto, which got over 4,000 likes on Instagram., external

... to this dish, which she didn't.

Image source, Izy Hossack

She says the photo she posts are "not stuff I'm making specially for Instagram, it's just my everyday life.

"If I have time, then I will make it look nice to photograph it."

Izy adds that she does think about her own food wastage - she is a student, after all.

"Usually on the weekend I'll set up a meal plan, so I know what I'm making," she says.

"That's something that helps me combat food waste and stick to what I need to actually buy."

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