8 Ways to Stop Wasting Food

Saving on food during a cost of living crisis has become more critical than ever before. Avoid throwing away leftovers and surplus food by reading these practical tips for running an economical household.

1. Avoid buying too much

One of the simplest ways to avoid food waste as a consumer is to buy less.

If you are taking shorter trips to the supermarket, each week rather than one big weekly food trip may prevent people from buying unnecessarily and may help cut back on waste.

2. Think twice before throwing food away

Sometimes “Best before” dates can be misleading — if your food still appears fresh and usable, it is usually fine to eat it.

While mould is a definite sign that something belongs in the bin, it is not necessary to throw out foods that are slightly past their prime.

People can use leftover vegetable scraps to make a soup stock. Even stale bread makes toast or breadcrumbs.

If it is getting near the best before the date you can always freeze it (depending on the produce) to sustain it for a longer time.

3. Store Food Correctly

• Keep high-risk food at 5 °C or below or above 60 °C to avoid the temperature danger zone and food poisoning.

• Store raw foods below cooked foods.

• Store food in suitable, covered containers.

• Avoid refreezing thawed foods.

• Check and observe the use-by dates on food products.

4. Make a weekly menu

Whether you are meal prepping for one or your family, making a weekly menu can help fight food waste. It is also a good idea to pick recipes that could be easily batch cooked and store in your fridge and/or freezer. Check out our batch-cooking article here

6. Keep a log of spoiled foods

Noticing you are wasting certain foods each month?

For example, if someone finds himself or herself throwing out many oranges as they go bad, the solution might be to buy fewer oranges to avoid this spoilage.

Although buying larger bags of produce rather than one or two pieces may seem cheaper, a person will not save money if they routinely throw away part of the contents.

5. Freeze extras

This can be a game changer. Many people are unaware that they can actually preserve food such as bread or fresh fruits and vegetables all keep well when frozen, extending their shelf life and reducing waste.

You should also freeze the foods you use less often, such as herbs, which is especially helpful. For those looking to eat more sustainably, freezing extra fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season locally can reduce the need for buying them when they are out of season and come from far away.

You can check out our seasonal veg calendar below:

6. Eat leftovers

This helps reduce waste from individual meals and keeps the fridge tidy. Did you know that the waste generated at Christmas goes up by 30% compared to the waste created during the rest of the year?

We have everyday recipes as well as Christmas blogs on what to do with your leftovers

7. Organizing the kitchen with ‘F.I.F.O’

“FIFO” stands for “first in, first out” and is a useful way to organize food at home. Many restaurants and supermarkets use this system to reduce waste, too.

Placing newly bought foods at the back of the cupboard or fridge will encourage people to use the food in the front row first, which will ensure freshness and reduce waste.

For example, if a person keeps many tins at home, ensure that the ones closest to their expiry date are at the front of the cupboard and use those first.

For more resources, check out our blog ‘How to organise your fridge and the benefits of batch cooking

8. Get inspired by our Cooking at Home recipes

Our Cooking at Home recipes is created by our in-house cooks, where you can explore healthy, simple, family-friendly meals. Our recipes are low-cost and require minimal equipment. They will give you a wide range of new and exciting foundations perfect to go on to create wonderful meals your way. We’d love to see what you cook - share your meals with us all! You can explore our recipes here