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Sep 3, 2010

Consumers are throwing away almost 50 million litres of wine a year, which in monetary terms equates to a massive £470m, according to supermarket chain Asda.

The "staggering" figures are a result of a huge amount of wine being poured down the sink due, in part, to Brits not knowing how long it stays fresh in open bottles and too much wine being served at a time.

In a step towards curbing the amount of perfectly good wine being discarded, Asda has launched its newly packaged range of wine cubes with the liquid being resourced from "top quality, award-winning producers".

Boxed wine allows the liquid to stay fresh for up to four weeks after opening, in comparison with bottles where wine generally stays drinkable for a matter of days.

In a bid to dispel the old fashioned and slightly downmarket stigma attached to boxed wine, Asda has launched the "contemporary, vibrant packaging" in order to attract a new generation to the product, and ensure it is a must have kitchen accessory.

Andrew Parry, household food waste prevention programme manager at WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) said more than £12bn worth of food and drink is thrown away every year in the UK, including more than £400m worth of wine.

WRAP welcomes the introduction of Asda's new Wine Cube, which will allow customers the choice of buying wine in a format that will last longer after opening, giving them the opportunity to consume the product rather than having to throw it away".

Philippa Carr, master of wine at Asda said, "The fact the wine is vacuum packed ensures it stays fresh for four weeks after the box has been opened. This means customers can open up one of our Wine Cubes safe in the knowledge that it will stay fresh for a month.

"A lot of wine is needlessly thrown away in this country as customers are often not sure how long wine stays fresh for. Our repackaged wine cubes are a step towards encouraging Brits to curb wine wastage."