Reducing Food Waste

Reducing food waste

Food can bring us comfort, help us come together and cooking can benefit our mental health and wellbeing, so why do we waste so much of it?

We may think directly about how the food we waste in our homes impacts the planet, but with 70% of food waste in the UK coming from individual homes we can all make a difference.

If everyone in the UK stopped wasting food at home for just one day, it would have the same impact on greenhouse gasses as planting half a million trees.

There are plenty of simple ways which can help you to reduce your carbon footprint by shrinking your food waste.

Tips for reducing food waste:

• Batch cooking is a great way to use up anything you have taking up space at the back of the fridge. You can use this extra time at home to try out some new recipes! Charity love food hate waste have some fantastic resources, including a leftover recipe guide full of inspiration for tasty dishes you could make with food you might otherwise throw away. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

• Growing your own food can be a fantastic way to cut down on food waste as you can share your extra produce with a neighbour or friend. If you would like to give back to your community and have surplus food on your allotment, Foodshare encourages growers to donate fresh produce to local charities who feed people, for example hospices, care homes and homeless shelters. You can register with them to see the charities that are looking for donations in your local area. www.foodshare.org.uk/grow-your-own

• When doing your weekly food shop there are simple ways you can shop smarter saving you money and reducing your carbon footprint! Choosing the food with the longest use by date, choosing wonky fruit and veg in supermarkets where it is available and creating a shopping list to ensure that you only buy the food you will use. Shopping in this way could save you on average £700 a year!

• If you do end up with extra non-perishable food items you could donate them to your local food bank. Often your local supermarket or corner shop will accept donations on your behalf. The Trussell Trust campaign for a hunger free future in the UK and you could help them to achieve this by checking your local donation point. www.trusselltrust.org/

Whether it’s the choices you make in the supermarket, deciding to grow your own food or cooking extra food to put in the freezer. Small steps can make a big difference!

Want to find out more? There are plenty of fantastic resources to help you in your food reduction journey!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-reduce-food-waste

www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

www.bristolfoodnetwork.org/reducing-food-waste/

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/food-waste