British households throw away more than 12,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries every year: 8.1 billion berries with an estimated value of £163 million. Penrhos Spirits is responding with the #SaveTheBlueberries campaign, encouraging consumers to freeze overripe or damaged fruit.
In the United Kingdom, household blueberry waste has reached surprising proportions. According to research released by craft distillery Penrhos Spirits, British households throw away more than 12,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries every year.
According to the striking comparison used by the company, this quantity would be enough to fill the turbine hall at Battersea Power Station, one of London’s most iconic industrial buildings, from floor to ceiling.
8.1 billion blueberries discarded every year
The figures, reported by Fresh Produce Journal, estimate that approximately 8.1 billion individual blueberries, equivalent to 81 million punnets, are thrown away in the UK every year.
At current UK retail prices, the economic value of the wasted produce is estimated at £163 million.
If placed end to end, the 81 million discarded punnets would cover the distance between London and Edinburgh 17 times.
44% of buyers admit throwing blueberries away
The research highlights how the problem affects a significant proportion of consumers. While 61% of British adults buy fresh blueberries, 44% admit throwing at least some of them away the last time they purchased them.
In absolute terms, this would be equivalent to around 14 million adults discarding fruit they had paid for.
A further 60% of respondents said they regularly find mouldy or squashed blueberries at the bottom of the punnet. Consumers are not indifferent to this waste, however: 81% admit feeling guilty when they have to throw the fruit away.
The #SaveTheBlueberries campaign
In response to these findings, Penrhos Spirits has launched the #SaveTheBlueberries campaign, aimed at encouraging households to rescue overripe, soft or slightly squashed blueberries.
The advice is simple: freeze the fruit before it becomes unusable and use it later in smoothies, baked goods or porridge, or as an alternative to ice cubes in drinks.
“Every year growers lose perfectly edible blueberries simply because they are the wrong size or shape, and then millions more are thrown away in our homes,” explained Harriet Evans, co-founder of Penrhos Spirits.
“The good news is that this is one of the easiest food waste problems to solve. Blueberries freeze brilliantly. Instead of throwing them away, simply put them in the freezer and use them later in smoothies, baking, porridge or even as ice cubes in a gin and tonic.”
Turning misshapen blueberries into gin
Penrhos Spirits is a family-run craft distillery established on a farm in Herefordshire. The company uses fruit in its spirits that might otherwise have no commercial outlet because it is imperfect, misshapen or does not meet the aesthetic standards required by retailers.
Since the brand was launched in 2019, the company says it has rescued more than one million blueberries. This approach also led to the creation of Wonky Blueberry Gin, produced using undersized or visually imperfect blueberries that remain perfectly suitable for consumption.
Waste is an issue for the entire supply chain
The UK figures highlight a challenge that does not concern consumers alone. For the berry supply chain, household waste represents a loss of value in addition to the fruit discarded during production, grading, packing and distribution.
The delicate nature of blueberries, the presence of damaged fruit at the bottom of punnets and improper storage after purchase can rapidly shorten the product’s shelf life.
The Penrhos Spirits campaign also demonstrates how consumer information, correct storage and the use of fruit that falls outside commercial specifications can become part of a broader waste-reduction strategy. Beyond sustainability, the message directly concerns consumers’ perception of the category’s value and their confidence in fresh blueberries.
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