Food waste is a huge problem, not only for people but also for the planet. Katy Beskow takes us through a week's worth of healthy habits to help reduce our food-related carbon emissions and save money in the process!
Day 1
Store your ingredients in the correct place to extend the shelf life and preserve quality. Keep root vegetables and onions in a cool, dark place. Leafy green vegetables, apples and grapes in the fridge between 1c-4c. Bread will become dry if stored in the fridge, however, if you plan on using it just for toast, it will certainly extend its life. Opened jars are best kept in a cool, dry place.
Day 2
Before you start cooking, consider the quantity of ingredients you really need to use. An average portion size for uncooked rice is between 80-90g per person, and allow 80-100g egg-free dried pasta per person. Cooking a larger quantity than needed of these basic ingredients can be costly and wasteful. If you intentionally cook more than needed so you can save some for another time, make sure you plan when you are going to use it up- and stick to it!
Day 3
Treat use by dates on food labelling as guidelines and not rules. Imagine that your food doesn’t have packaging or a use-by date. Use your senses to determine if it is edible and of course, use your common sense. If a vegetable appears a little limp, it can be chopped up and used in a cooked dish, but if there is visible mould or an odour, it shouldn’t be eaten for the purpose of food safety.
Day 4
Have a selection of stackable food storage boxes and labels to hand for storing leftovers. This will maximise the space in your freezer and allow you to recognise what is in each box (it’s harder than it looks when a meal is frozen!). Keep leftovers of sauces in clean glass jars in the fridge, again to make it easy to recognise and locate, and keep them fresher for longer.
Day 5
Rotate the items in your fridge, freezer and cupboards to ensure that everything gets used before it passes its best quality and taste. This also reminds you of what you have available before you go shopping, so you can create meals around these products.
Day 6
Make an informal list of the food you throw away, so you can recognise any patterns. Throwing away half a loaf of bread? Think about how better to store it and use it up. Throwing away that leftover pasta sauce you made last week? Remember to add leftovers to your meal plan. Throwing away an unopened bag of spinach? Base your shopping list around what you’re actually going to cook that week.
Day 7
Get creative with your leftover ingredients and cooked foods. Reducing waste and saving money on food bills doesn’t have to be a struggle, there is a world of new recipes and meals available when you think outside of the box - just have fun with it.
Katy Beskow is a vegan food writer and author, cookery tutor and chef demonstrator. www.katybeskow.com @katybeskow
The views expressed by our bloggers are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
