6 TOP TIPS TO TACKLE FOOD WASTE

25th April 2023

With ‘Stop Food Waste Day‘ this week there has been much discussion around the issue, but with one third of all food in the UK wasted, and 70% of that coming from households, it’s surely something we need to be thinking about all year.

According to climate action charity, WRAP, bread, potatoes and milk top the list of what we throw away most. Can you believe that 20 million slices of bread are thrown away every day in UK homes?

And it turns out that almost 75% of the 6.6 million tonnes discarded in the UK could have been eaten.

We’ve put together a few simple ideas to help you make some small changes in your life to tackle food waste.

HOME FOOD AUDIT

Start simple with a quick audit of your home.

WRAP says the average UK fridge is set too high and setting it at below 5 degrees will extend the life of your perishables.

Are you guilty of a post pandemic flour/pasta/tin stash? Move older produce to the front so you use it first and can easily see what you’ve already got before buying more.

Head to Love Food Hate Waste and search any ingredient to find out how to store, freeze, and use up what you already have.

Head to Love Food Hate Waste and search any ingredient to find out how to store, freeze, and use up what you already have.”

REUSE

Nothing needs to go to waste. Even leftover tea in the pot. Bristol chef Elly Pear recommends swapping water/milk for leftover tea to make a subtle, tea infused porridge. Good with spices, golden syrup and sultanas.

Check out these recipes using common foods that go to waste in home kitchens including stale bread, bruised fruit, wilting veg and discarded peels.

Lay your hands on You Can Cook This! by zero waste chef, Max La Manna. He asked his Instagram followers what foods they thew away most and turned the answers into a plant-based cookbook.

FREEZE

Made too much, running out of time before a use-by date, or simply got too much of something? Don’t forget to freeze. You can freeze almost everything including milk, eggs, cheese and salad leaves. Who knew?

Get ahead and make some of these freezable, batch cooking recipes from BBC Good Food and you’ll always have something tasty to grab at home.

DONATE

If you’ve got no time to cook or use food then donate it so it can be put to good use. Local food banks are in more demand than ever or give to a community fridge.  Environmental charity Hubbub funds more than 300 fridges over the UK, you can find your nearest here.

Or consider donating a few pounds to charity Fareshare who take good-to-eat surplus food and deliver it to charities and community groups who get it to those who need it most.

CHOOSE RESTAURANTS CAREFULLY

In 2022, 23 restaurants were awarded the new Michelin Green-Star accolade. Search out a zero waste restaurant that offers menus using local, sustainably sourced ingredients and also pledge to limit food waste. Here’s some of the best in the UK.

We’ve also recently discovered the Too Good To Go app which offers leftovers from local food businesses to customers at discounted prices.

LEARN (AND LAUGH)

For just £10 you can take this 12 lesson course by food waste disruptor, Martyn Odell aka Lagom Chef. Also check out his popular TikTok recipes and tips while you’re at it. Bonus is that he’s pretty funny.