Local Council Tries to Limit People to Six Brussels Sprouts Each at Christmas

We can all agree that food waste is a pretty big problem. British households throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year, the majority of which could have been eaten. As well having a huge impact on the environment, this costs the average home £470 a year.

It’s understandable, then, that Leicestershire County Council would want to send a seasonal reminder to residents about cutting down on food waste at Christmas—a time when households are statistically more likely to throw out leftovers. Sadly, it didn’t quite go to plan.

Posting from its official Twitter account at the weekend, the local council wrote: “Six sprouts = ONE portion. Don’t overbuy and they won’t go to waste.” Accompanying the tweet was a photo of the vegetable, as well as a link to the website of local recycling service Less Waste.

So, just a nice, seasonal reminder about food waste, albeit with a slightly domineering use of all caps, right?

Wrong. Because Twitter is a toilet and people have wildly different ideas about what constitutes a “normal” portion of food, Leicestershire County Council’s friendly food waste reminder soon got dragged.

Many replied to the tweet accusing the council of unnecessary interfering. One Twitter user wrote, “State approved portions of food. Have a merry totalitarian xmas everyone!” while another said, “Councils need to focus on collecting bins and fixing street lamps, not offering this mind boggling dull and irrelevant nanny state drivel.” One guy simply replied: “Don't be silly I have at least 18.”

Another unhappy Twitter user joked: “Are you going to prosecute Leicestershire residents if they have seven or, heaven forbid, eight sprouts? Will there be a 'Sprout Officer' (circa 42k per annum)?” Someone also tweeted a Photoshopped pic of Nigel Farage refusing a plate of sprouts (because Brussels, geddit?)

Leicestershire County Council seem to have got the hint: don’t tell people how much they should eat of something at Christmas—even if it is a near-universally hated cabbage-like vegetable known for causing flatulence. Speaking to local newspaper Leicester Mercury about the response to their tweet, a council spokesperson said: “We send out thousands of tweets, including messages about food waste, and sometimes we get it wrong. We want residents to enjoy every aspect of Christmas Day, including the sprouts!”