Try the zero-waste challenge to see how much you can reduce your food waste
Published: 4 March 2022
Wasting food costs the planet and your pocket. Did you know on average, each home in the UK throws away 8 complete meals a week, costing households around £720 a year.
The food we throw away also impacts the environment and contributes to climate change.
Because it’s not just the food being wasting – it’s the resources that go into producing it that get wasted too.
To raise awareness of the harmful impact of food waste we’re supporting Food Waste Action Week (March 7-13) by sharing top tips and encouraging residents to take part in a seven-day challenge to reduce the amount of food wasted from their homes to as close to zero as possible.
There are lots of ways to cut back on food waste, and to help you get off to a flying start for the challenge we’ve put together some top tips!
Portion planning and buying
Make a shopping list to help you stick to only buying what you need, and when it comes to mealtimes, serve the right amount of food. Why not try this useful portion planner to help with serving sizes: https://lovefoodhatewaste.com/portion-planner
Fridge optimisation
Did you know that your fridge should be below 5°C? In fact, the average UK fridge temperature is set at a way too hot 7°C. This is terrible news for milk and other food items kept in the fridge, which can perish quickly when not stored at the right temperature.
Find out more about fridge temperatures on: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/chill-fridge-out?_ga=2.190044905.317125162.1612275985-2076548065.1588605611
Date labels
Do you know the difference between ‘Use By’, ‘Best Before’ and ‘Display Until /Sell By’ dates? Check this guide to clear up any confusion with date labels, and to make sure you’re not throwing away food unnecessarily:
https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/about-date-labels
Use it all
Did you know that you can eat broccoli stalks? And that you can leave potato skins on? Discover more food items that you can literally eat more of: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/compleating
Using up leftovers
Why not explore lots of tasty recipes from Love Food, Hate Waste, many of which can be used from leftovers that you might already have. Save money and the planet by checking the recipes out on: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes
Food storage
Not sure where to store foods to make them last longer? Unsure of what you can and can’t freeze, and what the correct way of defrosting is? Find out this and much more in Love Food, Hate Waste’s A-Z of food storage: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/food-storage-a-z
By making small changes to the way we buy and use food in the borough, we can change the amount of food being wasted which will also have a big impact on the environment. Each small act can add up to make a big difference.
