With the cost-of-living crisis tugging at our purse strings, it’s never been more important to save our food from the bin. And with some simple guidance and these handy hacks, you can lessen your waste and reduce your food bills.
Nothing pains me more than throwing food away. I live alone and have only myself to think about when it comes to mealtimes. I admire the skill and organisation of working mums and stay-at-home dads, on their day-to-day management of a busy home.
With the cost-of-living crisis not getting any easier, media channels are constantly reminding us of food supply shortages, which has created panic-buying and food ‘rationing’ in some stores.
‘A week’s food plan can be like organising the stock list for a busy restaurant. I tend to shop in bulk, divide, share and freeze’.
Volunteering at a local food bank called The Felix Project has made me question my own food habits. I try and up-cycle as much food as I can — my leftovers get turned into stir-fries, frittatas, sauces, or stored in the freezer.
A week’s food plan can be like organising the stock list for a busy restaurant. I tend to shop in bulk, divide, share and freeze.
We also seem to have been driven into a state of ‘food panic’; food labels tell us what’s best before when to use by and display until — it’s all so confusing. No one wants to serve potentially dangerous food.
So what does it all mean?
According to the UK Food Standards Agency, there are three simple labelling codes to follow:
• use by
This is about safety. The food can be eaten until the displayed date, but not after. This applies to fresh meat and ready-to-eat salads.
• best before
As it suggests, this is a guideline from the manufacturer. The food is still good to eat, but may not be the standard it was when first produced, for example, tinned, frozen and dried foods.
• display until
This has nothing to do with us as consumers, it’s a guide to store workers to do just that.
As a rule of thumb, I follow my ‘store as purchased’ rule – wherever the food is in store, chilled or frozen. however it’s displayed, I‘ll do the same at home.
The UK food industry generates 100,000 tonnes of edible food waste each year.
More than 8 million people in the UK struggle to afford to eat every day
Why do we demand perfect-looking produce?
UK consumers’ desire for perfect fruit and vegetables that meet aesthetic standards in shape and size has a massive impact on food waste.
Produce that doesn’t meet these standards is often discarded, and classified as post-harvest and processing. Whereas food waste refers to edible food lost at the end of the food chain, due to the behaviour of retailers and consumers.
Production of so-called supermodel, chemically treated fruit and vegetables can have negative effects on our tastebuds and health.
Many think if the food looks good, it will taste good, but that often is not the case. Wonky or ugly food can be tasty, more nutritious, and less damaging to the environment.
Called ‘Wonky veg’, food giant Tesco has announced they will sell carrots and mushrooms in specially marked packs, giving their shoppers the option to choose vegetables they want to buy, rather than the chain rejecting them, because of their wonky appearance.
Tesco says: ‘The reality is that 5-10% of vegetables that never make it to the retail shelf are perfectly fine.
Online company Oddbox.co.uk sources produce deemed unfit for sale directly from growers to deliver thousands of mixed vegetables in recycled boxes across the UK. Customers also have access to online recipe inspiration. This proves that pretty isn’t always perfect.
Food saving hacks
• Cook fruit and vegetables, then freeze them. A simple fruit stew can be stored, and later poured over ice cream or used as a pie filling.
• Keep carrot and potato peel, (it’s packed full of nutrients). Just drizzle with oil and bake for healthy snacks. Chop up the outer leaves of cauliflower to include in your cauliflower cheese.
• The leftover bones from your Sunday roast can be boiled up with herbs and any veg that’s past its best to make your own stock – perfect for soups and casseroles.
• One of my favourite time- and waste-savers is passata, a rich tomato sauce base. It’s suitable for pasta dishes and upcycles overripe tomatoes.
Here’s how: Preheat the oven to 180°C, quarter six tomatoes, place them into an ovenproof dish along with four crushed garlic cloves, coat with the olive oil, season and bake for 30 mins.
Pour the roasted tomatoes with all the juices into a blender with a good handful of basil leaves and blitz. Allow the passata to cool thoroughly and pour into airtight containers. You can store this in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Overripe fruit combined with a few storecupboard ingredients makes an excellent treat for the kids: a dairy-free, silky smooth, chocolate ice cream. Apart from being a sneaky way to get them to eat fruit, it’s also a brilliant way to teach kids the importance of food waste.
