Reducing food waste

Minimising food waste - good for your pocket and the planet

Reducing food waste not only saves you money but also contributes to a healthier environment.

Growing, harvesting and transporting food produces greenhouse gases. Buying what you need and eating what you buy saves you money and helps to minimise our environmental impact and ensure the energy it has used doesn’t go to waste.

Here are some practical tips and strategies to make a positive impact on both your budget and the planet.

Planning ahead

A surprising amount of money can be saved by meal planning, organising and buying just what we need for the week.

• Create a realistic flexible meal plan to help you buy less food "just in case" - find out more about meal plans on the Love Food Hate Waste website.
• Use the Love Food Hate Waste food portion calculator to work out how much food to buy and cook.
• Start a shopping list and keep it on your fridge.
• Use your meal plan to update your shopping list.
• Check what food you already have at home before you shop so you only buy what you need.

At the shops

• Don't forget to take your shopping list with you!
• Buying loose fruit and veg helps you buy only what you need.
• Choosing frozen food means you can take out only what you need for each meal.

Storing your food

Storing your food in the best way to keep it fresher for longer can reduce how much food you throw away.

• Check your fridge and freezer temperatures – fridges should be 0^oC to 5^oC and your freezer -18^oC
• Keep your fruit bowl in the fridge (but not your bananas or pineapple)
• Pop your loaf in the freezer when you get home and use it from frozen
• Create an "eat me first" section in your fridge so things don't get forgotten at the back of the fridge
• Know your date labels - learn about best before and use-by dates on the Food Standards Agency website

Make the most of leftovers

• Use up leftover ingredients, find inspiration to from websites such as Love Food Hate Waste - foods and recipes and  BBC Good Food - leftovers recipes.
• Label and freeze leftover portions of food to eat later.