More than half of adults have unknowingly bought out of date food at a supermarket.
The study of 2,000 adults found £11.8billion worth of food is discarded across the UK each year.
With the average adult throwing away groceries to the tune of £17.90 monthly, or the equivalent of £214.27 every 12 months.
Half (49 per cent) said food goes off before they can use it, 33 per cent forget it’s in the fridge, 25 per cent don’t check use-by dates and 20 per cent misjudge portion sizes.
But with 51 per cent unknowingly buying items that are already out of date, 75 per cent feel clearer labelling would help this waste.
More than seven in 10 (71 per cent) think supermarkets should do more to cut down on food waste, with a third claiming the industry’s problem is bigger than households’.
While 35 per cent would support a legal requirement for all food products to include these codes linking to up-to-date storage and expiry advice.
The research comes after supermarkets faced fines, including Asda, which had a £640,000 penalty for selling out-of-date food at two Cardiff stores.
Anne Godfrey, chief executive at GS1 UK, which powers QR codes already being tested by Tesco to improve date accuracy, reduce waste and enhance food safety for consumers, said: "These findings highlight the need for clearer guidance and more solutions to help people make better informed decisions.
“And recent supermarket fines prove just how important accurate stock management and clear labelling are.
“UK retailers must step forward and adopt smarter solutions that empower consumers to waste less and make better-informed choices.”
The study also revealed 66 per cent of people admit to binning food because they weren’t sure if it was safe to eat.
With 18 to 24-year-olds most guilty, as 83 per cent admit to throwing away produce they are unsure about, totalling £309 in discarded food each year.
While 25 to 34-year-olds discard an average of £409 a year – nearly double the national average.
Instead of selling out of date food, 72 per cent want supermarkets to donate it to charities, while 69 per cent support discounts on near-expiry items.
And 33 per cent want better inventory and demand forecasting.
Nearly half (47 per cent) would happily use the scannable codes to track expiry dates and receive app alerts when products in their fridge were approaching their use-by date.
And 42 per cent would have greater trust in a product’s freshness if they could scan a smart QR code that provided this information.
It comes as 28 per cent feel guilty about the produce they throw away and 43 per cent feel it’s a waste of money.
But four in 10 adults still don’t separate food waste at all - just chucking it in the black bin instead.
While 60 per cent don’t even have a food waste bin, as 18 per cent claimed it is too much hassle.
Anne Godfrey, chief executive of GS1 UK, added: "Scanning smart QR codes can help retailers track expiry dates, rotate stock, and discount items nearing their best-before date – stopping out-of-date items being sold to consumers at the point of sale and reducing household waste.
“The next generation of barcodes can empower both retailers and households to make smarter choices.
“They have the potential to provide clear storage tips, recipes for leftovers, and alerts when items are nearing their use-by date.”
