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Love food, hate waste
If you only have time to read the first sentence of this page,
this is the thought Medway Council wants you to take away: good
food is something to love and relish and we can do more to cut how
much we waste.
How much do we waste in the UK? The figures might surprise you.
Research done by Wrap (the Waste Resources Action Programme) shows
that around a third of all the food we buy in the UK ends up being
thrown away. While some of this waste is not edible, such as bones,
there is plenty of good food that could have been eaten if only we
had used it before it went off. How much money is wasted? Again,
the research shows that the average household spends £400 per year
on food that was not eaten.
That is the effect of the problem on your purse. What about the
environment? Does wasted food also have a bad effect on the
environment? The answer is a definite yes.
In the UK we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year.
Much of this ends up in landfill sites.
This contributes to climate change in two ways. Firstly, the
rotting process releases methane and carbon dioxide into the air.
These are known to be big causes of climate change across the
globe. In the UK, landfill sites create around three per cent of
all the emissions of these gases.
Secondly, producing, transporting and storing food uses a lot of
energy, water and packaging. Each part of the process creates
harmful climate change gases, for example from lorries transporting
goods from farms to supermarkets. It is bad enough that we create
these harmful effects just to get food on our tables.
How much worse is it if we then waste the food itself? Well, we
might all say this is not the best way to do things. So is there
anything practical that we can do at home to enjoy the food we buy
while doing our bit to cut how much we waste? Thankfully, there
is.
Love food, hate waste: top tips
One of the aims of the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign is to
provide everyone with helpful and practical hints and tips on how
to enjoy the food we buy and cut down on the amount of good food
thrown away.
Stop before you shop
Check what is in
your cupboard or freezer, not forgetting the back of the fridge,
before you shop for more.- Make a list and shop with meals in mind. This will mean that
you do not buy food unnecessarily and save time and money.
- Be careful of special offers and multi-buys, especially on
fresh goods – make sure you will use them.
Use it or lose it
Keep an eye on perishable food and plan to eat meals within
their "use by" date.
Love your leftovers
Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and time-saving,
whether it was dinner from the night before or food left in the
fridge or cupboard. Do your own Ready, Steady Cook! and
see what meals you can make. Try using an online recipe database to
give you some inspiration.
When cooking for a family take a few minutes to measure food
out, perhaps into a favourite cup, so you get the right portion per
person.
No more soggy surprises
- Keeping your fridge between 1 and 5°C helps you get the best of
your food.
- Leaving food out, such as milk, cooked meat and salad, can
reduce its shelf life drastically.
- Make good use of the fridge and freezer to keep food better.
For example, most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge so it lasts
longer.
Consider your options
- Chilled and fresh food has become more popular over recent
years but sometimes it may be worth buying frozen or ambient food
with a longer shelf life. This is particularly useful if your meal
times are more spontaneous due to work or family schedules.
- Also, remember that fresh and chilled produce can often be
frozen at home if it is not going to be used in time.
Storage solutions
You can also influence the shelf life of your food by:
- storing root vegetables in a dark place away from other fruit
and vegetables;
- storing cereals, flour, rice, pasta and other dry goods in
airtight containers;
- closing packets and bags with airtight bag clips: there are
many ingenious products available to protect the quality of your
food.
Start composting at home
The answer for the peelings, cores and teabags, home composting, is a great way to prevent
unavoidable food waste ending up in landfill and can do wonders for
the garden.
Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
for more advice and tips.
Food date stamps explained
According to the Food Standards Agency (www.food.gov.uk), a "use
by" date is an instruction applied to foods that go off
quickly, such as fresh meat and fish, where serious forms of food
poisoning are a real risk if food is consumed after this date.
Do not use any food or drink after the "use by" date on the
label, even if it looks and smells fine.
For the "use by" date to be a valid guide, you must follow the
storage instructions such as "keep in a refrigerator". If you do
not follow these instructions, the food will spoil more quickly and
you may risk food poisoning.
"Use by" does not always mean "eat by". If a food can be frozen,
its life can be extended beyond the "use by" date but make sure you
follow any instructions on the pack, such as "freeze on day of
purchase", "cook from frozen" or "defrost thoroughly before use and
use within 24 hours".
Once food with a "use by" date on it has been opened, you also
need to follow any instructions such as "eat within a week of
opening".
A "best before" date, on the other hand, is
advisory and tends to be applied to low-risk foods and those with a
longer shelf life, such as frozen, dried and tinned foods. The
"best before" dates are more about quality than safety, so when the
date runs out, it does not mean that the food will be harmful but
it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. While food quality
is likely to decline after the "best before" date, the food is are
not likely to be risk to health.
Remember, the "best before" date will only be accurate if the
food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as
"store in a cool dry place" or "keep in the fridge once
opened".
"Sell by" and "display until"
dates often appear near or next to the "best before" or "use by"
date. They are used by some shops to help with stock control and
are instructions for shop staff, not shoppers.
Online database links
Do you need help planning meals? Check out these online recipe
finders to help you use your leftovers:
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