Most of us would prefer not to throw away food, but still do it. Quite often, poor planning is the reason why food is left for too long and ends up in the rubbish bin. With a few simple moves and a bit more thought, you can save both money and avoid an extra trip to the food shop.
If you want to reduce food waste at home, you have to first think about how much you actually throw away.
Most of us throw away food without really thinking about it, but if you take a look in your fridge before going to the shop, it is so much easier to see what you need and what you already have that you can use. Plan meals based on what you already have, then buy the products you still need.
One third of all food produced worldwide is either gone bad or is thrown away.
One of the smartest tips for using the food you have in your cupboards and drawers is to introduce one day a week when you have left-overs for dinner. In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing focus on reducing food waste, resulting in the popular left-over Thursday.
You don't have to choose Thursday, but we recommend deciding on one day a week when you have left-overs. Our best advice is to find out what works best for you, and to choose a day that fits into your busy schedule.
There are many ways of using up left-over food. Soups, wraps, salads and oven bakes are all great. Start off with the simple dishes below and put any ingredients you fancy in them. They are quick to make too!
Wraps. It couldn't be more simple. You can use tortillas for so much more than fajitas. Use them to wrap up whatever you can find in your fridge and hey presto – you have a complete meal. Left-over fish is a great example. Wraps are also great to take to school or work for lunch. If you have a lot of tortillas left over, you can keep them in the freezer.
Salads. If you have a lot of vegetables left over, they make a great salad – and everything goes. All you have to do is use your imagination.
Oven bakes. Vegetables, fish, pasta and potatoes can taste wonderful when baked. Assemble all the ingredients you want, put them in an oven-proof dish and bake them.
Soups. Everyone loves a hot, tasty soup. The left-overs from yesterday's dinner can quickly be turned into the best soup you’ve ever tasted.