As a nation, we throw away a lot more food waste than we think, without even realising. According to Love Food Hate Waste, the average family of four could save £70 a month by actively reducing their food waste.
Food is an essential, a comfort, and a luxury. It is something that most love and adore. And yet, we are still wasting 7 million tonnes of it every year- 5 million of which is edible.
By making small changes to our lifestyle, we could be making a positive impact not only on our wallets but our planet too.There are various common household mistakes which lead to increased waste, and there are so many ways to stop this.
There are three key elements that will help your family to keep food waste to a minimum:
- Only buy what you need
- Eat what you do buy
- Store your food properly
Think ahead
Portion planning, being freezer-friendly and snapping a picture of your fridge before you shop are all ideas that will contribute to you reducing your food waste- it’s not a bargain if it ends up in the bin!
Love Food Hate Waste say that 860,000 apples get thrown away every single day in the UK. They also suggest to ‘buy loose’, which avoids unnecessary multi-pack items you don’t want going to waste.
Give your fridge a holiday
When we go on holiday we all try to empty our fridges before we leave… or do we? Research conducted by environmental charity Hubbub revealed that UK households throw away £1/2 billion worth of edible food when heading on holiday each year.
So before you head on vacation, take a look and see what can be done with the food you’re not going to use. Consider freezing it, gifting it, or making yourself a meal to take with you for your journey.
Save waste, save the planet
According to Love Food Hate Waste, eating more of what we buy will save CO2 equivalent to taking 2.2 million cars off the road.
For more information on why we need to reduce our food waste, click here.