Here’s some top tips:
- Try to plan your meals in advance and make a shopping list then buy only what you need for the next few days.
- Rotate your stored food, so the oldest are used first.
- Freeze your left overs – lots of food can be frozen, including milk and cheese, fruit and vegetables, cake and juices.
- Make sure your fridge is below 5° Celsius to ensure food stays fresh longer. Certain fruits should be kept in the fridge to keep them fresh – such as berries, mango and peaches. Bananas do not go in the fridge, but can be frozen to be added to smoothies.
- Lots of food near the end of its life will be perfect for cooking – milk that is soured can be used to make scones, over-ripe bananas make excellent banana bread. Soft fruits and vegetables can be added to soups and smoothies.
- Compost your organic food waste – it’s better for the soil and it reduces your footprint.
- Support local producers – so nothing local goes to waste.
- Understand food labelling: There’s a big difference between “best before” and “use-by” dates. Sometimes food is still safe to eat after the “best before” date, whereas the “use-by” date tells you when it is no longer safe to eat.