Food waste in summer: Why we throw away the most right now of all times – and what helps against it
Summer brings barbecues, vacations, and bustling farmers’ markets. What often goes unnoticed: it’s precisely in the warm months that especially large amounts of food end up in the trash in German households. The reasons are surprisingly everyday ones – and with a bit of awareness, they’re easy to avoid.
How big is the problem? The figures
Before we turn to the special features of summer, it’s worth taking a look at the bigger picture. According to a report by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMLEH), around 10.8 million tons of food were thrown away in Germany in 2022.
The frightening thing is: Almost 58 percent of this waste is generated in private households – that’s about 79 kilograms per person per year. Not in restaurants, not in supermarkets. In our own homes.
The initiative Too Good for the Bin sums it up like this: The biggest leverage lies in the everyday lives of consumers – and with it the greatest opportunity to make a difference.
Why summer is the most critical season
1. Heat accelerates spoilage
The most important factor is simple: heat makes food spoil faster. According to R+V Versicherung the number of bacteria doubles at summer temperatures in just 20 minutes. Individual foods can therefore spoil on the way home from the supermarket – for example, if they are transported in a heated car.
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) explicitly warns: Perishable foods such as meat, fish, dairy products and egg dishes are particularly sensitive to high temperatures. Anyone who breaks the cold chain in summer risks not only food waste, but in the worst case also food poisoning.
Particularly perishable in summer:
- Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
- Soft cheese and cold cuts
- Avocados (hard to judge, quickly become overripe)
- Meat and fish
- Fresh herbs
2. We buy more impulsively in summer
In winter, most purchases are planned. In summer, markets tempt us with fresh strawberries, grill stands with spontaneous ingredients, and we shop more generously than usual. The problem: what looks tempting at the market often ends up forgotten in the vegetable drawer the next day – and spoils twice as fast as in winter.
3. Barbecue evenings regularly produce leftovers
Barbecue season is a special chapter in the story of food waste. You shop for ten people, but only seven show up. You plan generously because you want the evening to be spontaneous. The result: meat, grilled vegetables and salads that nobody wants anymore – and that are forgotten in the fridge even faster than in winter.
4. Holidays and Unattended Refrigerators
One of the most common—and most avoidable—summer scenarios: you leave for vacation without checking the fridge first. Arugula from last week, yogurt just about to expire, cheese that really should have been used up long ago. Two weeks later you come back and throw everything out at once.
What really helps: 5 concrete tips for the summer
Tip 1: Check what you still have before you go shopping
The simplest and most effective step. If you know what you still have, you shop more deliberately and avoid buying duplicates. With an app like Smantry, a quick look before shopping is enough – all your supplies, fridge contents, and expiry dates at a glance.
Tip 2: Strictly maintain the cold chain in summer
Always put frozen goods and fresh meat into the shopping cart last. In hot weather, take a cooler bag with you. Take your groceries straight home and put them in the refrigerator immediately.Consumer Advice Center NRWalso recommends buying smaller quantities but shopping more often on hot days.
Tip 3: Tidy up specifically before your vacation
Three to four days before departure, it’s worth checking the fridge: What is going to expire soon? What can still be used up or frozen? What can you give to a neighbor? Once you do this consciously, you’ll be surprised how much can be saved – and you’ll leave with a clear conscience.
Tip 4: Calculate barbecue quantities realistically
It’s better to plan conservatively and add more if needed. Leftover grilled vegetables can be turned into great salads, wraps or soups – but only if you still know what’s in the fridge and when it should be used up.
Tip 5: How to store food properly in summer
Some foods can exceptionally be stored in the fridge during summer, even though they are usually better kept at room temperature:
- Tomatoes and bell peppers: In the height of summer, they can be put in the fridge for a short time – the flavor and texture change slightly, but spoilage is prevented
- Bread: Do not store in the refrigerator (it will become dry and hard), but in a ventilated bread box or – for longer storage – in portions in the freezer
- Oils: Store in a dark, cool place; in very hot weather, the refrigerator can be a good option
The real problem: lack of oversight
Food waste rarely happens out of indifference. It happens because of a lack of oversight. We don’t know what we have. We buy things twice. We forget what’s at the back of the fridge.
So the first step isn’t a new recipe or a new habit – it’s getting an overview. Anyone who knows what they have and when it needs to be used up will automatically make better decisions.
The Smantry app was developed precisely for this problem: as a digital memory that supports you in everyday life – with no effort, no need to change your habits, and no guilty conscience.
Conclusion: Summer is solvable
79 kilograms of food per person per year – that sounds like a structural problem that individuals can hardly influence. But especially in summer it becomes clear: many of these losses occur in very specific moments. When buying too much for a barbecue. When going on holiday without checking the fridge. When forgetting the yogurt behind the juice bottle.
Small changes in behavior therefore have a particularly direct impact in summer. And if you use a digital memory to help, you don’t even have to remember very much yourself.
Further resources and links
- Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture – Food waste in Germany: current figures
- Too Good for the Bin (BMEL initiative) – Food waste in figures
- German Nutrition Society (DGE) – In summer heat, food spoils more quickly
- R+V Insurance Info Center – In hot weather: Food can spoil even in the car
- Consumer Advice Center NRW – Storing food correctly
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