It might shock you to know that around a third of all food produced across the world is wasted every year, with further statistics showing that just 25% of all this food could feed nearly 800 million starving people. Not only that, but wasted food means wasted energy, water and land that goes into farming, harvesting and transporting crops.
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That, combined with the fact that 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from methane produced by rotting food in landfill sites, is proof that food waste is one of the biggest global issues we face today. So, in honour of Stop Food Waste Day, we offer up seven ways you can help reduce the statistics.
Regrow your veg
Some vegetables can be regrown when they start to look a little worse for wear. Save the ends of spring onions, celery and romaine lettuce and place them in water and you'll soon see new shoots sprouting. Potatoes that are starting to sprout can also be re-planted in soil, and basil stems will eventually sprout roots when placed in water so they can be re-sown.
Be portion conscious
If you know you tend to make more food than you eat, consider re-evaluating your portion sizes. Not only will you be saving the environment, but you'll also be saving money and probably be healthier too. There have been far too many occasions where we've continued to eat way past the moment we're full simply to avoid the waste.
Freeze your leftovers
If you're cooking meals from scratch and you find it too difficult to reduce your portion sizes, you can always freeze half for another day. Plus, chop and freeze large packs of fresh veg as soon as you buy them so that you never have to throw it away - and you also save time while cooking.
Give to food banks
If you're cleaning out your food cupboards and discover certain unopened non-perishables that you have decided you are unlikely to use after all, consider taking them to a food bank rather than tossing them away. You can donate cereal, soup, pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, lentils, beans, tinned meat, tea and coffe, tinned fruit, biscuits, UHT milk and fruit juice among other things. Some supermarkets even have a a special bin for donations, so you don't even have to make the extra effort in tracking down your local food bank.
Compost your waste
In the UK, you can get compost bins from the council for your garden which you can fill with garden waste and some kitchen waste. You can compost teabags, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings and egg shells, though you cannot compost cooked food, meat or dairy products. However, there are kitchen composters out there that are appropriate for disposal of this kind. Even if you don't use the compost, you can donate it to friends, family, some garden centres and allotments.
Be mindful of use-by dates
It's annoying to discover four days after your weekly shop that the chicken you were going to eat that day has a use-by date of two days ago. Thus, always check dates of all fresh food you buy and make sure you have time to consume it. It sounds like common sense, but it's easy to overlook such things when you're shopping.
Plan meals around leftovers
Many of us plan our week's meals in advance, and while this is an excellent idea for keeping costs down and avoiding making spur-of-the-moment unhealthy choices, it can mean you end up with a lot of food waste particularly if you're cooking for just yourself. A lot of ingredients come in family sized packs, and one way to get around this is to take note of the ingredients that you are likely to have left over and considering using them for meals later in the week.
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