Advice on how to be smart with your food and reduce waste
Why save food?
Reducing food waste is important for all of us. It saves money and helps to slow down global warming and deforestation. If we all make a few small changes to the way we do things, together we can make a big difference.
By using up the food we buy and avoiding waste, a family of four could save as much as £70 each month. And you'll be doing your bit for the environment too.
How to reduce food waste
Here are a few ways you can reduce waste:
Be smart at the shop
- plan meals
- use grocery lists - check your fridge, freezer and store cupboard before you go shopping, then write a list so you don’t shop for things you already have
- avoid impulse buys
- wait until perishables are all used up before buying more
- buy exactly what you need - there's a handy portion planner on the Love Food Hate Waste website
- be realistic
Be smart at home
- practice FIFO (First In, First Out); move older products to the front of your fridge
- monitor what you throw away and then buy less of it
- keep a list on the freezer door of what's in the freezer
- designate one dinner each week as a "use-it-up" meal
- eat leftovers
- donate what you won't use
- compost
Be smart at mealtimes
- start with less food on your plate
- take leftovers home
- share with friends, family or neighbours
- go trayless in a cafeteria
For more tips and hints, please visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.
Our food waste scheme
You can put any food you can't re-use into your food waste bin. You can find out more about our scheme on our food waste bin page.