Save Food Waste Save Money

Food - most of us love it and yet so many of us waste a lot of it too. In fact latest figures suggest that on average each UK household wastes about £60 of food per month which is over £700 per year!

And the problem isn’t just a UK-wide one. Globally it’s estimated that between 25% and 30% of food produced is lost or wasted. Some of this is unavoidable but much of it is, if we change our habits and adjust our lifestyles a little.

Food waste hurts the environment

It’s hard to believe but if food waste was actually a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world! Not only are there so many resources used for growing it, rearing it or producing it, there are lots more resources used in processing it, packaging it, transporting it and storing it and when it doesn’t make into hungry tummies, all of that resource used to get it to your home is wasted.

Small steps can make a big impact

Nobody wastes food on purpose, but there are some easy things we can do to use up as much as possible of the food we buy. Better valuing and using up your food will save you money on your food shop too! Climate change can feel like a huge and abstract problem, but food is something we have control over multiple times a day, and can make a difference with every meal.

5 Steps To Start Saving And Stop Wasting

1. Keep a track

You might not even notice where more food could be saved till you actively look. Spend a week or so trying to notice what ingredients are most commonly thrown away, is it often leftovers, or things you never got round to using at all? If you know what’s being thrown away and how, it’s easier to change!

4. Store it

Storing our food correctly can help it last longer, and give us a better chance of using it up. Check out www.hubbub. org.uk/store-it-like-a-pro for top tips on storing fruit and veg, to keep it happy and fresh for as long as possible.

Fact: Did you know that storing tomatoes upside down helps them last longer?

2. Check it

Always check your fridge and cupboards for what you’ve already got before you go food shopping. You might have forgotten tasty treats you already have, or you might spot ingredients that need to be finished, so you can plan your shop better to combine with those. Check ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ labels too, so you know what needs to be used up first.

5. Freeze it

Getting friendly with your freezer could save you a wad of cash, and save a lot of food from the bin! Did you know you can freeze almost anything safely, and without reducing the quality or nutritional value?

<wacky fact> Did you know you can freeze eggs? You need to break them out of their shells first. Crack them in a Tupperware container and beat the yolk and white together lightly then pop the top on the container. Label it with the date you froze it and the number of eggs used and next time you need an omelette, defrost the eggs and bingo!

You can find out what else you can surprisingly freeze such as cheese and even rice by visiting www.hubbub.org. uk/15-freezer-friendly-foods

3. Plan it

Meal planning is a great way to help reduce food waste, as you’ll only buy the things you need and know what days you’re eating them. Remember to save some empty days in your plan for eating out, or sorting out leftovers and random ingredients. Not done much planning before? Check out www.hubbub.org.uk/10-easy-meal-preptips for helpful tips.

6. Share it

Going on holiday? Cooked too much? Sometimes we will have done all the meal prep and planning yet still have spare food that’s perfectly good. This food can be shared with your local Community Fridge to share food with your neighbours - it could be odd ingredients or full blown meals! The community fridge is a great idea to help people share food they don’t want. There are a few dotted around BCP.

Check out www.hubbub.org.uk/thecommunity-fridge to find out more info on locations and the idea behind it.

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