How food fits in the reducing waste hierarchy
The way we treat our food fits in with the reducing waste hierarchy, which prioritises avoiding buying what we don’t need and reducing what we do buy.
Here are some tips to get started on a food waste reduction journey:
- Buy only what you need – creating a weekly meal plan and getting a shopping list together can help with this
- Not all fruit and vegetables are created equally – unfortunately the misshapen or different looking produce sometimes doesn’t leave the farm, even though it’s still perfectly good. You can check out Countdown’s ‘the odd bunch’ selection of fresh produce sold at a reduced price, or subscribe to have oddly-shaped produce delivered through a service such as Wonky Box
- Store food wisely – practice a ‘first in first out’ system by rotating the food in your fridge, freezer and pantry so the older items are at the front and are used first
- Understand food labelling – foods like meat, poultry and deli items are safe to eat before their ‘use-by’ date if they have been stored properly and haven’t been opened. Food can be eaten after its ‘best before’ date as long as it has been stored properly
- Start small – if you regularly have food leftover after meals, serve up smaller portions, and share large dishes when eating out or getting takeaways
- Use your leftovers – sometimes they taste better the next day!
- Ask for a ‘doggy bag’ for any food you don’t eat at a restaurant (might as well get the most value from what you paid for)
- Sharing is caring – find your local foodbanks and see if they can take your unopened, non-expired food that you don’t need.
8 Mar 2023
