Top Ten Tips to Prevent Food Waste

Top Ten Tips to Prevent Food Waste

1. Plan what you’re going to buy before visiting the supermarket. Sticking to a good, old-fashioned shopping list helps save money, as well as preventing waste. If you’re particularly organised, you could even plan a menu for the forthcoming week and only shop for those items.

2. Store your food carefully. Most fruit is best when kept in the fridge, whilst bread, milk and eggs can all be frozen. There’s a whole host of other tips to preserve food: from never storing onions next to potatoes, through to wrapping banana stems in cling film.

3. Prioritise food that goes off quickly. If some of your fresh food looks like it is about to turn, or is close to the use-by date, then tuck in before it becomes waste.

4. Make sure you season use-by and best-before dates with a pinch of salt. They are written by manufacturers with regards to optimum taste, not safety. You’ll know if your perishable goods are fit to eat by how they look and smell.

5. Eat sensible portions. Not only will this help prevent waste, it will also benefit both your bank balance and your waistline.

6. Be creative with your cooking. There are various recipes that utilise uneaten food from previous meals. The classic ‘Bubble and Squeak’ is perfect for making the most of any vegetables left over from Sunday dinner; just add bacon and egg, or even fish, and tuck in.

7. If this doesn’t take your fancy, your pet dog will undoubtedly appreciate any table scraps. Along with their usual biscuits, this will help them achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

8. Food sharing is becoming increasingly popular, whether distributed amongst family and friends, or donated to a local food bank. After all, from time to time it’s always nice to cut the grocery bill. Furthermore, what could be more satisfying than helping those in need, without spending a penny?

9. Composting is a great way to use up organic food waste that is unsuitable for the food bank. As well as improving the quality of your soil, you’ll be doing your bit to combat global warming by cutting environmentally harmful methane gas.

10. Limit the amount of rubbish bags that you use. Yes, this requires discipline, and the temptation is always there to sneak an extra one into the dustbin when nobody’s looking, but setting a weekly target, and sticking to it, will really make you consider what you actually throw away.

Images courtesy of WRAP UK