Helping you reduce food waste

Resolution

Did you know that we throw away 1/3 of all the food we buy? What if you could turn waste into taste?

Is food waste avoidable?

The two main causes of food waste are mainly due to loss of water and wilted products. This leads to a change of appearance and a change of texture in the products. Our waste can be split into three categories: avoidable, unavoidable and possibly avoidable.

60% of waste is avoidable - foods that could have been eaten if it had been managed better.
19% is unavoidable - things like tea bags and chicken bones.

Recipes to reduce food waste

20% is classified as possibly avoidable. This includes the food that you see here, potato skins, broccoli stems and leafy offcuts.

These can be eaten, and enjoyed, if they are properly prepared. Here's how to turn this waste into taste:

Potato Skin Chips

Beetroot Leaf Pesto

Broccoli Stem Salad

Practical guide - best conditions for different type of food

• Arrange perishables from the back of the fridge to the front, so that items need using first are the most visible.
• Wrap any items that have strong odours or high moisture content.
• Store fruits and vegetables in crisper drawers, where trapped moisture helps preserve food quality for longer time periods. Most fruit and vegetables should be stored at a low temperature and high humidity.
• Wrap raw meat and poultry securely so leakage and contamination of other foods or surfaces do not occur. Any meat to be kept longer than two days should be frozen.
• Butter and cheese: these should be placed in special airtight containers or wrapped in aluminium foil or polythene bags to exclude as much air as possible.