Avoiding Food Waste
Stopping your food from going to waste is an easy way to save money! Plus, it’s great for the environment as it stops precious resources used in growing, transporting and cooking the food from being wasted.
Did you know?
- UK households waste 4.5 million tonnes of edible food each year. Enough to fill 9 Royal Albert Halls!
- If food waste were a country it would be the biggest contributor to climate change, behind China and the USA.
By making small changes to the way you shop, store and prepare food you can make a big difference. Here’s a few of a favourite tips:
Fill your freezer:
By freezing excess or nearly out of date food in the freezer it will last longer. You can freeze almost anything - even eggs, yogurts, milk and cheese! Just check it's still in good condition and hasn’t passed it use-by date before putting it in an airtight container and freezing.
Make a Shopping List:
Plan your meals at home and take a list of the chosen ingredients to the supermarket, so that you only buy what you need. It’s great idea to look through your fridge before you go shopping, so you don’t double up on perishable items.
Love Wonky Veg:
Fruit and vegetables that are misshapen often get left behind, but they all taste equally delicious. Supermarkets often sell misshapen fruit and veg at a cheaper price, so look out for these deals and embrace their uniqueness!
Ditch the Peeler:
There is so much nutrition in the skins of fruit and vegetables and there is no need to peel them! This includes potatoes, carrots and even butternut squash. Simply scrub and clean your vegetables before using as normal.
Know your dates:
Food past its ‘Best Before’ date is safe to eat, as this refers to guaranteed best quality such as flavour, colour or texture. Use your own judgement to check that its condition is still good. Best before dates are sometimes written as BB, BBE or ‘Sell By’.
You should not eat food past its ‘Use By’ as this refers to safety. Use By dates are commonly found on high risk refrigerated foods such as fish, meat, prepared fruit/vegetables and dairy products.
Love your leftovers:
Use up what you already have before you go shopping again. Leftovers are easily forgotten about but can be used for so much! There are great recipes that take advantage of your left over ingredients, such as our hand-made pizza, get creative and love your left overs! Left over meals can be frozen or refrigerated for another day.
