Food waste
We want more veg to go from plates to bellies, not bins. It saves you money, helps food go further, and helps the environment, too! We’ve brought together some of our experts and content to help you reduce food waste – and stress – in your house.
How much are you wasting?
Did you know that if food waste was a country, it would be the third largest in the world?!
The great thing about this is that by being food waste savvy, we can not only save ourselves money and make our meals go further, but we are actually helping the planet at the same time.
Throwing food away is frustrating – it feels like money in the bin. Fortunately, there are some simple steps that can keep this from happening, meaning more veg gets eaten and less money is spent unnecessarily. Win-win!
We’ve brought together some of our experts including nutrionist Charlotte Radcliffe RNtr. and eco-chef Tom Hunt to share their top (but easy!) tips for cutting your food waste down.
Use by
Have you noticed that some foods have a “use by” date, while others have a “best before” one? Use by is a food safety notice – it is telling you that this food must be consumed or frozen by the date shown on the packet. Best before is about food quality – it’s an indicator of when that food will be ‘past its best’, but still perfectly safe to consume. Some fresh veg (for example, bags of mixed salads) have a use by date. Be sure to use that veg by the date indicated in these cases. But most veg has a best before date, and as long as it looks and smells ok, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be used beyond this date. It won’t be at its best, but will still be fine to eat, and as good as ever in something like a soup or sauce where the quality will be less noticeable!
Storage
Did you know that if you store and prep your veg properly, it can actually prolong its freshness? If your lettuce is starting to wilt, place it in some very cold water to ‘shock’ it back to life. Cut carrots do well stored in water, so placing carrot sticks into an airtight container with water will help them from drying out. Some veg lasts longer if kept drier though, so placing some kitchen roll in with your washed and properly dried lettuce and greens can keep them from going soggy in a container or zip-lock bag. Know which veg is best kept in the fridge, and what is better on counters or in cupboards (like root veg!). Use our storage tips for different veg or do a quick Google to find out the best ways to help your veg last longer, saving you from wasting food (and money!)
Batch cooking
One of the best ways to cut down on food waste is by batch cooking. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be making giant vats of food or chopping for hours! Batch cooking can be as simple as just doubling (or tripling) your family’s favourite dinner next time you make it. By making extra of something you know and love and planning when to use it later, you not only save yourself time and stress on another night, you also have a waste-free dinner ready from the freezer (or fridge) to save having to buy more next week.
Get batch cooking tips from The Batch Lady herself…
Frozen
Using frozen veg makes it easy to use only what you need. You can easily measure out portions by handfuls, and if you are just trying out a new veg with your kids, you can give them tiny amounts and keep re-offering without worrying that the rest may end up in the bin. Just grab the right amount of frozen veg (no prep and prep waste required!) and seal the bag back up for next time!
Find out more about how using frozen veg could save you time, money and waste with Charlotte’s guide.
Meal planning
A simple way to save food from going to waste is to only buy what you need – by planning your meals before you shop, you know exactly what you need to buy, and where and when everything will be used. This not only saves you money by avoiding buying more than is needed, but it also means that food is used rather than wasted!
No idea how to meal plan? Love Food Hate Waste has a great beginner’s guide here…
Soups
Soup is perfect for using up veggies on the turn. If your greens are looking a little wilted, your roots a little shrivelled or your soft veggies a little squashy, it’s time to make soup. Save those veg from the bin by adding to a pot with some water or stock, a bit of flavour with herbs, spices, curry pastes or other aromatics and blitz or serve chunky to make essentially a free dinner from what was originally food waste!
Find out how to build your own soup over here…
Food Preparation
So many perfectly good vegetables are wasted in food preparation. Our friend and award-winning chef, food educator, writer, and climate change activist Tom Hunt shows us how to efficiently prep some of our favourite veg – check them out below…
Bellies not bins
Of course the food waste that upsets us most is the food that was destined for children’s tummies, but is rejected and ends up in the bin. Super clever child psychologist and mum of two Dr Clare Holley explains how to create a positive meal occasion, the power of three R’s – re-offering, rewarding and how to be a great role model. Don’t miss it…
tom’s food prep guide
Chop, chunk, slice and ice with minimum waste…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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