There has been a big push from our government this week to reduce the amount of food we throw away. Gordon Brown, on his way to the G8 Summit in Japan to work on alleviating the very real problem of global food scarcity, pointed out that food waste ‘is costing the average household in Britain around £8 per week.' That equates to 4.1m tonnes of perfectly good food thrown away every year. This is all unnecessary waste (and doesn't even include what we over eat which can waste both our health and world supplies).So it's now time to reduce, reuse and recycle our food! Reduce consumption, reuse leftovers, and recycle into our composts.
Some of our food waste avoidance tips are:
- Work out what you want to cook for the week ahead before you buy your fresh food and bring home the right quantity to avoid floppy carrot syndrome
- Utilise bulk buys only if you are 100% sure you will use the whole of the product before its end date
- Shop on a full stomach... not only to avoid the strategically placed chocolate bars at the checkout but also to ensure your brain is on full alert to keep you on target for a list-only shop
- If leftovers don't appeal two days in a row; either make less, freeze it or get creative - roast beef pie filling, thai chicken soup or, my father's favourite Chilli Mistake'a (just add chilli!)
- Eat only what you need. Make only what you need. Appreciation and enjoyment of food tends to increase as the regularity of indulgences decrease.
Send us in your tips to minimize food waste and we'll add them to our list!
