Your questions around food waste answered (with expert tips)
Your questions around food waste answered (with expert tips)
Looking for ways to reduce food waste & save money? Get creative with your leftovers & make the most out of everything in your fridge.
Looking for ways to reduce food waste & save money? Get creative with your leftovers & make the most out of everything in your fridge.
What’s the impact of food waste on the environment?
Recent findings have found that British households are producing over 6.6 million tonnes of food waste per year, and of this amount 4.5 million tonnes is in fact, edible. Worldwide, one third of all food produced is lost or wasted, and over the past year sporadic peroids of panic buying during the pandemic have only contributed to this issue.
During lockdown measures, Brits were more tempted to buy larger quantities of cheaper food essentials, but this habit has only lead to more food being discarded, making the problem of waste even more challenging to resolve.
During lockdown measures, Brits were more tempted to buy larger quantities of cheaper food essentials, but this habit has only lead to more food being discarded, making the problem of waste even more challenging to resolve.
Does food waste have an impact on my wallet? What’s the impact of food waste on my wallet?
Every time you throw away excess groceries or the leftovers from the back of the fridge, that’s money down the drain. In fact, according to a survey by HelloFresh, Brits waste £7,49 of uneaten food every month, that’s £89.88 worth of food thrown away each year! These numbers do not only show how much money we waste on uneaten food, but they also reveal how much we can save by being more cautious of the way we buy and prepare our food.
Where do I store my food so it lasts longer?
Searches revealed Brits have a range of common dilemmas when it comes to correct food storage. 'How long does cooked chicken last in the fridge?' is searched 3500 times monthly, and 'how long can you keep rice in the fridge is searched 700 times each month. So, we've provided some general rules on this:
- Meat: refrigerated, or freezed before the 'use-by' date.
- Fruit/vegetables: refrigerated or countertop depending on the exact ingredient (take a look at our tips below)
- Dairy products including eggs: refrigerated.
Where do I store my fruits and vegetables so they last longer?
Despite common belief, not all fruit and vegetables should be refrigerated, though some do to prevent further ripening. Follow our simple guide to what products are best stored where below!
Fridge
- Vegetables: Bell peppers, salad leaves/lettuce, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots
- Fruit: Avocado, blueberries, mango, strawberries, grapes, citrus fruits
Countertop
- Vegetables: Garlic, onions/shallots, butternut squash, potatoes
- Fruit: Pineapple, melons, cherries, peaches, plums, tomatoes
What can I freeze, not freeze?
Brits are searching for 'can I freeze chicken' 2400 times per month, making it the most queried freezer-friendly ingredient. The answer to this is yes, as long as it is frozen before the 'use-by' date, in an airtight container.
Next up, we're searching for 'how to freeze carrots' 2300 times each month, and you can in fact freeze carrots, blanched or unblanched. They should last upto a year when contained in a tightly sealed freezer bag.
Surprisingly, 'how to freeze bananas' is asked 1100 times over the average month, and the most practical way to do this is to unpeel and slice them into discs.
Next up, we're searching for 'how to freeze carrots' 2300 times each month, and you can in fact freeze carrots, blanched or unblanched. They should last upto a year when contained in a tightly sealed freezer bag.
Surprisingly, 'how to freeze bananas' is asked 1100 times over the average month, and the most practical way to do this is to unpeel and slice them into discs.
How to make compost at home
Brits seem to be actively seeking ways to make their waste go further, and at-home composting has become a daily practice for many households. We're asking 'how to make compost' 3300 times online each month, and the process itself is straight forward!
- Using small tumblers/bins, you can set up a compost station in your kitchen. Keep it somewhere visible to get into the habit of filling it.
- You can fill your compost bin with anything from coffee filters/grounds, food scraps, egg shells, kitchen waste and green leaves. Avoid adding things like meat, bones or fish scraps as they will attract pests.
- Keep your compost moist, or if it's kept outside simply let the rain add moisture into the mixture.
- Turn it regularly, aerating the contents to improve oxygen content, ensuring you're growing a healthy compost that will benefit your garden.
How to pickle/ferment at home
Brits craftiness doesn't end at composting though, and pickling is our newest food waste phenomena. There are 5200 searches for 'how to pickle beetroot', followed closely by onions (3100 searches) and cucumbers (1300 searches). Take a look at our simple guide to pickling!
- Slice the product you're going to be pickling.
- Add seasonings, vinegar and water to a sealable jar to make your brine.
- Add extra flavours - such as garlic or dill, and place the product you're pickling into the brine mixture in the jar
- Allow to refrigerate for around 3 hours or until you're happy with how 'pickled' it tastes!
How to make the most out of my leftovers
One key priority for Brits over the past year has been getting the most out of their daily shop and leftovers, and some of the most common searches are 'budget meals for large families' and 'cheap healthy meals on a budget'. In order to strike a balance between tasty and healthy food, we need to be more tactical with our leftovers.
Whether we're repurposing it as part of another meal the following day, or if we're bulk buying to make a larger quantity that we can freeze to enjoy at a later date, there are plenty of options to maximise the meals we can enjoy using our go-to ingredients.
Whether we're repurposing it as part of another meal the following day, or if we're bulk buying to make a larger quantity that we can freeze to enjoy at a later date, there are plenty of options to maximise the meals we can enjoy using our go-to ingredients.