Creating a new HHSM that can include food and packaging waste has been a huge undertaking, involving the creation of decision trees and logic for many possible decisions and actions in the household involving food and packaging. We added several areas of new functionality, such as a market module and the capacity to simulate portioning in the home, into tupperware or other containers owned by the household. We also made the model significantly more user-friendly and powerful.

The HHSM team at the universities of Greenwich and Kent have been testing the produce we would like to simulate in order to provide us with data on how produce deteriorates over time. They turned this data into quality scores, which can be used instead of expiry dates for some items.

We have been engaging extensively with industry and policymakers to ensure that the model is useful for them, by attending industry trade shows and conferences and networking with stakeholders directly. In May 2023, we organised a workshop for WRAP to teach their analysts about the new model. We also introduced DEFRA to the HHSM in August and October 2023.