Avoiding Food Waste
Facts & Figures You Need to Know
​
-
30% of global carbon emissions is due to the production and consumption of food.
​
-
1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year.
​​
-
The average UK household loses £700 a year in wasted food.
​
-
In the UK, potatoes are the single most wasted food.
​
-
In the UK, 60%of food waste is from our homes.
​
-
1 in 5 people end up throwing away food as they "don't know what to cook".
​​
-
In the UK, the average home wastes a total of 142 carrots, onions, tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes and loaves of bread each year.
​
​
​
​
(The above statistics have been obtained from sources including The Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP), The Guardian & Olio.)
1
Don't peel your vegetables
There are also nutrients and other flavours that can be found in the skin of fruit & vegetables.
2
Don't overstock your fridge and cupboards
There is no point in buying too much food if you are not going to be able to eat it all before it perishes.
3
Use your freezer
Although some food does not freeze well, there are many that do which will extend the life of that food. You can also save portions of cooked dishes to eat at a later date (maybe when you have deadlines/exams and have less time to cook)!
4
Save your leftovers
This is one of the most important tips. Leftovers can be frozen for later use or you can incorporate them into one of my recipes to create a new dish. (See some quick ideas below).
5
Pickle your food
Pickling can be done to almost any type of food including vegetables, meat & eggs, and preserves food for long periods of time. It is a very simple process and you only need some vinegar and added flavours (e.g. garlic).
6
Avoid oversized portions
By doing this, you will reduce the food thrown into the bin after you've eaten​.
7
Pumpkins on Halloween
Save & dry out the seeds. Use the flesh for soups, vegetable tray-bakes or roasted pumpkin cubes.
8
Ideas for using up leftovers
Smoothies - for using up fruit, milk & yoghurt.
Soups - to use up nearly-perished vegetables.
Vegetable Hash - a quick fry up using leftover raw or cooked vegetables
Omelettes - using eggs to combine leftover food together.