Food waste

You can help the environment and save money and valuable resources simply by using food that is normally thrown away.

Here are some tips to help you to cut down on your food waste going into your black bin:

1. Try planning your meals a week ahead. (When you go shopping you will have a rough idea of what you need to buy)
2. Some supermarkets sometimes offer multi-buy (buy one get one free). You and a friend or relative could split the cost and have one each. Think about what meals you can cook with the food you buy and whether some of it could be frozen for later.
3. Write a shopping list and stick to it when you go to the supermarket.
4. Look through your cupboards and fridge to see what meals you could create using leftovers. On the Love Food Hate Waste Website you will find ideas on using leftovers.
5. Sit down as a family at mealtimes and cook one meal not lots of different meals at different times.
6. If your family can't all sit down together for cooked meals, look at something that can be cooked once, but eaten twice. Food can be cooked in bulk and then split into smaller potions and frozen. For more ideas and recipes go to the Love Food Hate Waste website.
7. To help reduce your food waste, keep a Food Diary for one week.
8. One way to get most out of leftover food waste is to use a cooked chicken carcass to make a stock or a soup.
9. Use leftover cooked vegetables to make up a bubble and squeak once cooked serve with cold cooked meat. v

To find out more useful tips about how to store food and advice on freezing, plus tips and tasty recipes visit Love Food Hate Waste website.

Last update: 22/12/2011