Brits will throw away the equivalent of nearly 20 tonnes of food during kitchen spring cleans this year, research has found. A study of 2,000 adults found 49 percent of households – around 13.8 million – estimate they will bin an average of 1.4kg of food from their cupboards during their upcoming “spring clean”.

Flour (16 percent), pasta (11 percent), and unusual herbs and seasonings bought for one recipe (21 percent), are among the most common items neglected in British kitchens.

But half admitted they have items tucked away in the back of cupboards that haven’t been used in years – with 16 percent claiming to have food which has sat there for more than three years.

It also emerged only 29 percent believe they have “total control” of their kitchen – with two-thirds admitting the space could do with a spruce.

However, a third reckon their kitchen has become more organised in the last year, with 57 percent thriving off cupboards filled with matching and labelled containers.

A spokesman for food storage and hydration brand, Sistema, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s amazing to see how much food is being binned, mostly because of cupboard chaos.

“It’s so easy to forget what you have – especially if you’re lucky enough to have lots of space – so aligning things in a way that makes it quick and easy to understand what you have is always a good shout.

“Whether it’s ensuring everything is visible, or dispensing foods in the labelled containers, a tidy kitchen can really help you cut down on waste.”

The research also found 35 percent turn to social media for cleaning and organisation inspiration – with Instagram (55 percent), TikTok (41 percent), and Facebook (39 percent) at the top of the list.

More than half (52 percent) scour social media for inspiration as they love watching others categorise food in functional containers – with ASMR-style videos of boxing items away a favourite for 35 percent.

Meanwhile, others are inspired by tips from the internet in general (21 percent), friends and family (17 percent), and even when out shopping (14 percent), on how to systemise their pantry.

As a result, the average adult will reorganise their food cupboards every four months – or three times a year.

Taking the time to tidy up gives them the opportunity to get rid of anything past its use-by date (47 percent), dig out forgotten items (42 percent), and simply make more space in their kitchen (41 percent).

And 76 percent feel it is easier to know what you’ve got in your cupboards when it’s laid out in a neat and tidy fashion.

But the research, carried out via OnePoll, found a lack of time is stopping 35 percent from being more scrupulous with the layout of their cupboards – as well as a gap in their knowledge when it comes to how best to organise everything (15 percent).

The spokesman for Sistema, creators of the Ultra range, which has been designed to help reduce food waste in homes by improving kitchen organisation through food storage solutions, added: “You can have a lot of fun with how you put together your kitchen cupboards.

“There are several ways you can personalise containers, and being able to see things in clear containers can give you an immediate understanding of what you need to buy – saving you a considerable amount of time in the long term.”