If food waste was a country, it would be the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet.
Yes, you read that right! Globally, we throw away over 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year.
If you’re anything like us, you’ll find that fact pretty upsetting, but perhaps you’ve been guilty of it too? That rocket that you let wilt in its bag, the tub of yoghurt left over from a recipe, the fruit that got crushed in the salad drawer? Or maybe that leftover dinner portion you forgot about and ended up scraping into the compost bin? We’ve all done it. It can be hard to stay on top of everything and not create food waste. But did you know that you could save around £700 a year on groceries if you bought only the food you actually used?
Developing a few good habits around buying and storing food will go a long way to help cut down on waste. Here are our tips for five habits that can be introduced into the way you shop and cook:
1. Plan your weekly shop in advance
If you’re guilty of dropping into the shop a few times a week and only buying what you need for that evening’s dinner, you’re likely setting yourself up for some waste ingredients, and you’re also costing yourself more too. Taking the time to plan what your lunches and dinners will be for the week helps you consider what foods you actually need to buy and how many portions you will get from them. If this sounds like another chore you don’t have time to do, there are a number of weekly meal planning resources and services available online.
Top tip: Check your fridge and cupboards & look up recipes that use those ingredients before you go shopping.
2. Seek recipes that will use the same ingredient
Is a recipe asking for 50ml of cream? If so, see if you can find another recipe that will use the rest of the tub up, like a curry, pasta sauce or creamy risotto. It will give you satisfaction to know you’re not causing any waste and it can take the thinking work out of deciding what to cook next.
3. Consider growing herbs
If you find you buy a bag of basil, coriander or parsley at the supermarket quite often, you could be better off buying the potted herbs and growing them on a sunny windowsill. Not only will it save you money and avoid wasting leftover herbs, you’re also cutting out a whole lot of plastic bags too!
4. Store foods well
You’d be surprised what a difference storing your fresh food well can have! A chopped pepper stays sweet and crunchy for up to a week in an airtight container, whereas the edges of a cut pepper left as it is will soften and brown in a day or two. Give berries, vegetables and cheeses a longer life by storing them in a food safe airtight container as soon as you get them home. By using our glass containers, you’ll also benefit from being able to stack containers and see exactly what you have so things don’t get lost at the back of the fridge.
5. Double up on portions and freeze the spare
This tip is one of our team’s most beloved tricks – simply double or triple ingredients, cook your meal and freeze the extra portions as soon as they’ve cooled. This is a great one if you are time poor but also want to ensure you are eating well. The next time you feel tempted to have take-away or buy a ready meal, you can know that you have your own home-made meal ready for you in the freezer, that you can defrost and microwave.
FURTHER RESOURCES:
For more information on food waste and how you can do your bit to reduce yours, we recommend the below resources:
