Avoiding Food Waste
Over 7 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the UK each year, over half of which could have been eaten rather than ending up in the bin. Here are our top tips to prevent the need to throw food away.
2 minute read
Take a shopping list
Impulse buys are dangerous. Plan your meals and stick to your list, otherwise you could end up with items you don’t actually need. It will be a cheaper shop and you won’t waste any excess food.
Use your food quickly
Keep an eye on use-by dates when you buy and plan your meals. 60% of us end up throwing food away because it’s passed its use-by date. Planning your meals saves you money and also stops you thinking about what you’ll have to cook that evening.
Fridge
Optimise your fridge by setting it to the right temperature. Set your fridge between 1–5 degrees to keep your food fresher for longer. You’ll also be surprised at what foods you shouldn’t refrigerate.
Freezer
There’s not much you can’t freeze. Got food that goes out of date tomorrow, but you don’t have any use for it? Stick it in the freezer and it’ll be absolutely fine up to three months later. Portioning up leftovers, such as stews and chilli con carnes, is easy to store and really convenient for a quick dinner when you can’t be bothered to cook – just bung it in the microwave!
Leftovers
Why throw away extra food? We sometimes cook too much and throw the excess away. Instead, be creative – add your leftover roast dinner meat to a salad or a stir fry. Alternatively, take your leftovers to work for lunch the next day and save yourself the hassle of preparing or buying something for your break.
Pasta
Pasta bakes are an amazing way to use up protein food that’s about to go out of date. You can add meat or fish and a sauce to cooked pasta and voila! It’s easy to cook, portions up nicely and you can even freeze it. Click here for our pasta bake recipe.
Compost
If you do have to throw away food, don’t just put it in the bin – you can use it to ‘feed’ your garden. Throw perishables, such asteabags, vegetable peelings and fruit scraps on your compost heap. They will break down organically and help to make your garden beautiful.
