Food Waste
Did you know that UK households are responsible for wasting 6.5million tonnes of food per year of which 4.5 million tonnes are edible. Avoidable food waste is estimated to have emissions of 20million tonnes CO2e each year - the same as flying London-New York more than 22 thousand times! (An explanation of what CO2e is can be found here). By reducing food waste, we can help take care of the planet and save £60 per month! Here are some tips to get started:
How you store your food is really important and can help extend the shelf-life. Here is an A-Z of ideal food-storage.
Plan your shopping so you are buying what you need, and able to finish everything before it goes off.
Use-by or best before? A ‘best before' is safe to eat after that time, it is just a guideline to show you when peak freshness is expected.
Keep your fridge/cupboards organised so you know what is going out of date first.
If you have leftovers, even that little bit left on your plate, keep it for a snack or to be incorporated into another meal later on.
Get creative with what is left in the fridge to rustle-up a meal. Here is a simple recipe search tool to suit all your eaty-up meals!
If you can’t eat your ‘spare’ food, give it away. The Olio app is a great way to give away and pick up food for free.
How about taking up a couple of these easy tips for Lent, and see what a difference it makes to your household?
Alice Corrie