Food
Eat up
What
Food is fantastic. But, perhaps because it’s quite so appealing, we often overestimate how much we actually need to buy. The result? A massive chicken curry that never gets finished. A BOGOF offer on hot cross buns that nourishes a mould culture more than it feeds you. A sack of potatoes that are starting their own farm.
Although UK households have hugely reduced how much food and drink they waste in recent years, we still throw away an average of £500 worth of food every year. Make the pledge to reduce that waste - we'll send you a few tips to help you along the way.
Why
Worldwide 30% of food is wasted and this waste is responsible for 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions1. If we take action by shifting the way we consume, how we cook, and advocate for more sustainable agricultural practices, we can change this.
How
The good news is: cutting down on our household food waste isn’t just easy, it can be downright delicious!
Here are some top tips:
- Get excited about what’s on the menu this week and plan ahead. Extra points if you write a shopping list and stick to it.
- Don’t fall for bulk offers, unless you know you'll eat it all or have space in the freezer.
- Freeze your leftovers - from wine (pop it in ice trays and use in cooking later) to stews (label it clearly!).
- Be creative and use up the leftovers - why not turn those squishy bananas into a happiness-boosting bread or a lovely milkshake?
- Take leftovers into work for lunch, or share with your neighbours through Olio, the food sharing app.
- Learn about storing food properly - the longer it stays fresh, the more likely you are to eat it. Two quick tips to get you started: bread in the fridge will go off, while most fruit will like it there.
- Trust your senses. Remember that ‘best before’ dates mean exactly that – they’re best before, but they’re ok after too.
- Learn to pickle and ferment! So many fruit and vegetables can be stored for ages if you turn them into something else first. So if you come into a glut, see if you can pickle it before you chuck it!
Love Food Hate Waste is a great source of simple advice on how to store your food and also allows you to look for tasty recipes with the ingredients you already have.
