Sussex Green Living: Savvy Meal Choices Reduce Food Waste

Savvy meal choices can help save you money and reduce food waste

UK households waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year, 4.5 million of which is edible at a cost of £14 billion. By being clever with our menu choices for the week, savvy storage ideas and using up leftovers, the average family of four can save £60 a month (or £720 a year) by reducing the amount of food they throw away. Now that winter is here and the cost-of-living crisis worsens, these savings could be just what we need.

In addition to the benefits to our pockets, 25-30% of global carbon emissions are created by growing and producing food alone so reducing food waste also helps our planet. So how do we get started? Here are some top tips to save food waste and money: Plan meals in advance – write a list of meals for the week and get creative with using up ingredients. For example, if you need one piece of chicken and half a butternut squash for a recipe on Monday, what other dishes can you make during the week to use up the rest? On websites like bbcgoodfood.com you can search by ingredients to select a recipe and lovefoodhatewaste.com have leftover food recipes to use up that half a squash. Portion control – with obesity rates continuing to rise in the UK looking at portion sizes is a good way to reduce food waste and your waistline. lovefoodhatewaste.com have a portion planner giving recommendations for adult and children size portions, using these will help you cook just the right amount of food without having loads left over. Buy what you need – Britons throw away almost half a million tonnes of fresh vegetables and salad and a quarter of a million tonnes of fresh fruit a year, often because fresh produce is only available in pre-packed quantities. A recent study by WRAP has also shown that packaging fresh produce in single-use plastic doesn’t extend the life but forces people to buy more than they need. Look to buy fruit and veg loose to limit how much you buy. This should get easier as supermarkets are coming under pressure to increase their loose offerings. Check your fridge temperature – your fridge temperature should be below 5°C. This will keep your food fresher for longer. Putting open packets whether its cheese or a pot of coleslaw in an airtight container, will help it last longer. Freeze leftovers – if you’re not ready to eat your leftovers or have in-date food, put it in the freezer to eat at a later date. Use By and Best Before dates – Use By dates are on products for food safety so always use up a product by its Use By date. If you’re not going to be able to, freeze it. Best Before dates are a recommendation based on the quality and taste of the product by that date, these products can be eaten past the date – just have a look at the product or take a sniff test before eating. Melanie Nurse, Sussex Green Living

Photo: freeze food – whether fresh or leftovers – in convenient portion-sized containers