11 Tips For Reducing Food Waste

Are you looking into reducing food waste? Then be sure to check out these top tips!

On average, it is estimated that 40% of all the food produced in the world is wasted. Isn’t that such a shocking figure?

We are wasting so much money and resources when it comes to food production but if we all do our but, we can start reducing food waste slowly but surely.

Here are a few top tips for reducing food waste and living a more sustainable life:

Meal Plan

This is such a good idea and should be done before you go shopping. If you know exactly what you need, you are less likely to want to buy random items when walking around the grocery store.

You will also be less likely to throw things out that have gone past the due date as you’ll plan to eat them before that arrives. Pick up good quality meat from an online butcher such as Swaledale.

Freeze Your Leftovers

Many meals can have their leftovers frozen and used for a later meal. Leftover pasta or meat is perfect for a cold lunch the next day!

Only Serve What You Need

It can be tough to get into this mindset if you have been cooking in a certain way for many years but if you cook the right serving amounts, you won’t waste anywhere near as much.

Don’t Discard The Misshapen Veg

So many people won’t buy misshapen vegetables because of how they look and if they don’t get bought, supermarkets will throw them away. There is nothing wrong with them apart from how they look – they still taste the same! So why not pick them up when you are shopping and save them from going to waste?

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Rotate Your Food

Make sure you are rotating your food and using the old items before the new ones. Anything that has a date to be used by after opening? Make sure you know when you opened them so they don’t spoil.

Have A Leftover Day

Those leftovers we mentioned up there ^ ? Have a day where all you eat is leftovers you’ve frozen or popped in the fridge – it will save you a lot of money!

Have An Inventory

Make sure you know exactly what you have in the house at all times so you grab what you need and don’t forget anything – but also don’t get anything that you don’t need. An inventory can be ever so useful!

Repurpose Scraps

Instead of just throwing scraps away, take steps in reducing your food waste by composting them or making brother or even using as fertiliser. There are so many ways that you can use scraps without just tossing them out.

If you have a back garden, a compost bin is a must have and you can compost plenty of leftover food.

Store It Properly

Each item you buy will have a specific way to store it. Make sure you know how your items should be stored and store them in the correct way.

Get Preserving

Preserving is becoming popular once again and it is easy to see why! So many people are preserving, canning or picking certain foods to extend their shelf life and get even more use out of them.

Don’t Worry About Expiration Dates

Obviously if the expiration date was a long long time ago, then do worry but if something is a day over, chances are it is fine.

Most food is fine to eat past its expiration date and these dates refer specifically to the dates retailers need to remove them from their shelves.

These are just a few ways you can start reducing food waste and living a more sustainable life – good luck!

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