Around 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year. And also we know that thousands die per day due to starvation every day. The majority of food waste is coming from households. But we can all take action by changing the way we shop, cook, and plan our meals to avoid wasting food, money, and resources. Here are some practical ways to avoid food wastage.
1. Plan your Meals
By planning a weekly menu, you can arrange the proper system without wasting food as well as money. Prepare a meal plan for the week. Check your grocery items before you go shopping and this can help you to avoid overbuying.
2. Know how to Store your Food
Make sure food doesn’t disappear in the cupboards or fridge by applying the first-in-first-out principle. Fresh groceries go behind products nearer to expiry dates which move closer and more visible. Organise the fridge by keeping ready-to-eat foods such as leftovers on the top shelf and sealed raw meat and fish on the bottom shelf to avoid dripping. Reserve a separate drawer for fruit and vegetables.
3. Understand ‘use by’ vs ‘best before’ Dates
The ‘use by’ date on packaged food tells us when it is still safe to eat the product. ‘Best before’ dates are more flexible than use-by dates. After this date, foods such as dried beans, lentils, and pasta, can be consumed safely.
4. Avoid Serving too much
Here are some simple practices that help:
- Use smaller-sized plates to serve food.
- Measure portion sizes with low-cost kitchen helpers such as measuring cups and scoops for appropriate portion sizes.
- Improve the dining experience by being mindful, eating away from a screen and taking more time.
- Use leftovers for lunch the next day. Not enough leftovers for a whole meal? Mix and match different meals, add some salad or bread, and a feast appears before us! Freeze for later. For the tastiest results, frozen leftovers should be used within three months.
5. Share Extra Food with Others
We should share the food if the food is safe. Ask around, friends or colleagues could make use of what we won’t. If there are food banks around that accept donations and distribute them to people in need. Invite neighbours over for a meal, it’s not only a nice way to gain new friends.