{"id":181857,"date":"2021-11-07T14:22:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T14:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/reduce-food-waste\/"},"modified":"2023-06-27T14:46:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:46:20","slug":"reduce-food-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/en-za\/reduce-food-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reduce Food Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New to eating plant-based and not sure how to reduce food waste? These tips will<\/strong> make your plant-based foods go further<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fresh
Image Credit: Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Did you know that around a third<\/a> of the food produced in the world goes to waste? According to research by WRAP<\/a>, more than nine million tonnes of food were wasted in 2018 in the UK alone. An estimated 70%<\/a> of this waste came from households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does this food waste cost us money, it also has a wider cost to the environment. When you start eating vegan, you may realise that shopping, storing and cooking food is a huge learning curve. And that\u2019s OK!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a few simple changes, you can keep your food waste to a minimum and make the most of your food shop. Read on for our top tips, from storing fruit and veg correctly to using up your leftovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy less food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A straight-forward solution to wasting food is simply buying less of it. We know there are countless temptations in the supermarket, but over-buying isn\u2019t such a great idea when you end up throwing most of it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When buying fresh fruit and vegetables, only buy the amount you need to use. Choose loose produce, especially wonky veggies, to reduce the food wasted by supermarkets too. The appearance makes little difference to the taste!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy non-perishable foods in bulk and stock up when it makes sense to do so. Before you hit the supermarket, think about what you\u2019ll be eating in the next week. Take a shopping list of what you actually need and stick to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sell-by vs use-by<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we throw away food when we don\u2019t even need to! This is often down to confusing \u201csell-by\u201d and \u201cuse-by\u201d dates on packaging. \u201cSell-by\u201d simply means the retailer can\u2019t sell the product past a certain date, whereas \u201cuse-by\u201d indicates when the product needs to be eaten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the \u201cUse-by\u201d date is a better rule of thumb, but some foods can be perfectly safe to eat a day or two later than the given date. Does it look or smell like it\u2019s gone bad? If not, it\u2019s probably fine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Store food correctly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that not all fruit and veggies are supposed to be kept in the fridge? Knowing which foods to leave in the open, which ones to chill and which ones to keep in containers can transform your food habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foods to keep on the counter<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For some foods, moisture speeds up the spoiling process, so letting them breathe will keep them fresher for longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n