Going Green - Ideas for shopping smarter and cutting down on food waste

Latest article from Angela Terry

Green Green campaigner and consumer expert, Angela Terry, separates climate change facts from fiction and here she explains how you can take simple, practical steps to help save the planet. Follow @ouronehome & visit https://onehome.org.uk/ for more advice.

Q: Have you any ideas for wasting less food? Too often, I end up putting items from my fridge straight into the bin.

A: Reducing food waste is one way we can all cut our shopping bills, as well as help save the planet.

In the UK we bin 6.5 million tonnes of food each year, of which 4.5 million tonnes is still edible.

That equates to a staggering £700 for an average family and lots of carbon emissions that could have been avoided.

Our grandparents had the right attitude to avoiding food waste.

We could all do with embracing some good old-fashioned thriftiness!

Here are some of my tips to get you started ...

Shopping

Plan a menu and shopping list for the week, so you don’t put things you don’t need in the trolley.

Try to avoid ‘buy one, get one free’ deals unless you genuinely need two of something for your meal plans.

They just encourage food waste, so say ‘Bog off!’ to BOGOFs!

Bulk buy staples like rice, flour and pasta to cut down on packaging and save money.

Also, look out for meat alternatives.

Meat is very expensive.

A University of Oxford study found that meat-free eating can reduce your costs by up to one third.

Chickpeas, lentils or beans are more affordable and healthier too.

You can use them to make protein-packed meals that taste amazing.

Food storage

When storing items in the fridge, put those with the shortest shelf-life at the front, so they’re eaten first.

Some food goes off quickly once packaging is opened so write the date that you first opened it to remind you that it needs eating.

While ‘use by’ dates need to be followed for health reasons ‘best before’ dates are just a guide.

Fruit and veg scraps and peelings

If you have a local food waste collection, make sure to add fruit and veg skins, peel, pips, stones and cores to your council caddy.

By increasing recycling rates you’re ultimately helping your council tax bill from rising too much.

If you don’t have a local food waste collection, any fruit and veg scraps can be turned into garden compost.

Leftovers

Always keep leftovers.

You can freeze them or turn them into next day’s lunches.

Leftover veg, for example, can easily be made into soup.

Stale bread can be made into bread and butter pudding – or blitzed into breadcrumbs that you can use in a whole host of recipes.

Alternatively, you can investigate apps like Olio, which enable you to find or share surplus food. Such a great idea!

Celebrity spot

Electric – or e-bikes – are latest trend among Hollywood A-listers. Celebrities including Kylie Jenner.

Other celebrity e-bikers include Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen DeGeneres who have all ridden them.

Early adopter, Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, William Shatner, bought his first in 2012.

During lockdown, Total Recall star Arnold Schwarzenegger was frequently spotted around LA on his e-bike – explaining on social media that it was a good way to exercise while socially isolating.

Screen legend Goldie Hawn also rode her e-bike to escape quarantine.

Green swap

When seeking ornaments or decorations to brighten up your home, seek out vintage finds in charity shops  and on eBay instead of buying new.