More than half of people in Finland throw out Christmas food after the holidays primarily due to overbuying, according to a new poll.
The survey also found that people tire quickly of holiday dishes, making it the second-most common reason attributed to Christmas food waste. Those polled listed the rich and filling nature of Christmas food as third-most common reason it gets chucked out. A fifth of those surveyed said large packaging sizes contributed to holiday food surplus.
Ham was the key culprit, accounting for 18 percent of yuletide waste, followed by vegetable casseroles (17 percent) and Christmas beetroot salad (12 percent).
Finns spend an average of 101-150 euros on Christmas food each year, with budgets in some households rising to 300 euros for the festive occasion. Those in the 55-64 age bracket typically spend the most money on holiday spreads.
The survey commissioned by food importer Lejos polled 1,055 people and was carried out by survey site M3 Panel.