Half of Britons claim not to waste food but in fact as a nation we dissipate millions of tonnes of food and drink a year. In 2011, WRAP estimated that the total amount of food waste generated each year in the UK is nearly 15 million tonnes – with more than half coming from our homes, and a large portion of this could have been eaten. And while some people may think throwing food away doesn’t cost much, the fact is that food waste is expensive – average £572 worth of food and drink is thrown away every year.
If you truly believe you don’t waste food, why not try this simple challenge we’ve prepared for you? It can help you to evaluate how well you manage your food waste, and how to make the most of the food you buy.
The challenge!
Look at what you are throwing away, first. Keep a diary for a week with all the food and drink your are tossing into your bin. Alternatively, you can use a separate bin for your food waste only, to see how much there is. Once done, follow the simple tips below and measure again to see how much your waste has decreased!
Plan your meals before going for a shopping. Write down the products you are going to need for your meal on a list and stick to it. It takes a few minutes but can save you a lot of money on your food bill.
Here are a few simple tips that can help you with your food shopping list:
- Keep a pen and a sheet of paper in your kitchen – when you’ve run out of a certain product such as milk, fruit juice or cheese write it down on the list.
- Shop only for ingredients that your planned meals require in order to ensure you will use everything you buy.
- Go for food that can be used for several different meals.
- Look for products with the longest “best before” date or fresh foods which can be frozen in case you don’t consummate them right away.
- Look through your food supplies on a weekly basis for products that you might soon be run out of.
Master Your Cooking Skills
Use your culinary skills to make delicious dishes from leftovers. If you are not feeling confident about your cooking capabilities, there are many cooking recipes that will show you how to cook tasty, cheap meals from scratch!
Portion Your Meal Properly
Preparing just as much food as you or your family can eat is the easiest and quickest way to reduce food waste. Love Food Hate Waste provide this Perfect Portion Tool to help you get the perfect portion every time.
There is nothing more pleasing and satisfying than helping the environment and at the same time saving money! If you have your own way to reduce food waste, feel free to share it with us on our comment section below!
Article sponsored by Rubbish Please – a company providing rubbish removal London services in a safe and eco-friendly manner.
