to be shocked that 70% of food waste is from our homes? Do people not eat leftovers?

[MLMshouldbeillegal]

ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-positive-movements-in-uk-food-waste-reduction-reverse-as-covid-19-restrictions-are-removed

71% of food waste - 4.5 MILLION TONNES - annually is from our homes. Retailer and restaurants get stick in the press for throwing things away but really, they're not the problem, are they? Only 4% of food waste is produced by reailers.

It's us who are being wasteful. Throwing away 4.5 million tonnes of food each year is obscene. Do people not eat leftovers? Freeze what they're not using and keep it another day?

But I can only buy it as a whole root of about 12 sticks
I've never seen a head of celery that big! Greengrocers sometimes sell it by the stick. I chop up onion, celery and carrot and freeze it to use in pasta sauces.

@TheKeatingFive

If you’ve only a freezer box then it’s half full with a loaf in it.

I wouldn't have bought a whole loaf to put it straight in the freezer. I'd be freezing slices.

There only me. I eat 2 slices a day in toast and 2 more every other day as a sandwich.

They’re horrible in a sandwich if they’ve been frozen so if I was freezing bread id be using 2 slices a day. That’s still a whole loaf in the freezer at the beginning of the week? Even if I open it and divide it up into ziplock bags by 2 slices

If it is a pie or something I can cook from frozen then I do freeze. But a pack of meat, I just don't freeze them anymore
I'm not perfect but I'm amazed at how wasteful some people are. Meat being wasted when a tiny bit of organisation would mean it could be used. And we've all read about the environmental impact of meat.

@DuesToTheDirt

Its even worse when its meat...a creature has died for you and you put it in a bin..

Totally agree.

It makes no difference to the creature.

It's also a touch privileged to say that people should be keeping leftovers as it doesn't take into account that not everyone is cooking from scratch. I can't imagine trying to reheat stuff like oven chips and chicken nuggets

But why would you cook more than you need? I don’t think anyone is taking about freezing the leftovers from kids plates.

Whether you are able to have a medium or big freezer is a factor, but most of our stuff is eaten up the next day. The freezer is more often used for batch cooking (which also helps cut down overall waste)

There only me. I eat 2 slices a day in toast and 2 more every other day as a sandwich.

What about buying rolls or part baked rolls instead?

I’m forever battling with DP over this. He’ll see the date on tomatoes or that they’re a bit wrinkly and start piling them by the food waste instead of chucking them in the oven to roast down into a sauce, or jiggling the meal plan to push back something less urgently in need of being eaten.

On the whole we’re pretty good – egg shells and coffee and banana peels get used for roses in the garden, we have a couple of “odds and sods” meals in the plan each week to use up random leftovers, and if we plan something like a bolognaise that needs celery, as pp example, we’ll make sure the next 800 meals include celery (WHY are celery packs so huge?!)

But DD is another “no crusts” git who also loves apples but hates the peel and changes her mind on likes constantly. We definitely buy too much but busy lives don’t help – like a lot of environmental factors it comes back to households built around two people working full time, and commuting: where is the time to buy small quantities, daily? I’d love to be Nigel Slater just picking up something in the butcher then going to the baker then the grocer then my veg garden and orchard to get exactly what I need, but for most people a big shop once a week is much more doable.

I’ve had luck with the Olio app though, that’s reduced our waste a lot, and doing a big shop fortnightly instead of weekly. And going vegetarian – we’re now much more likely to root around the fridge and gather everything up to use. Whereas when we were eating meat it was more “cook meat, a carb, some vegetables”, and lots went wasted.

@TheKeatingFive

A lot of cheap fridges just have an ice box.

Doesn't mean it can't be used.

I spent many years in rented places with this set up. I still froze left overs/bread/etc.

I do use my ice box, but I obviously don't have that much space. And frozen bread is really not for me anyway.

I wonder if those disgusted by leftovers would eat a ready meal? It's essentially the same thing (in plastic packaging )

But it makes difference to enviroment .Chuck out less,means buy less,means less animals die

"Taking a piece of bread, frozen when fresh, and sticking it in the toaster results in a piece of toast, nothing more, nothing less."

Like I said it often curls over and can't be put in the toaster properly. And the taste is just horrible. It would be easier if people could buy smaller loaves.

@Europilgrim

But I can only buy it as a whole root of about 12 sticks I've never seen a head of celery that big! Greengrocers sometimes sell it by the stick. I chop up onion, celery and carrot and freeze it to use in pasta sauces.

You can buy frozen vegetable packs like this - sofritto I think

@Aggy35

But it makes difference to enviroment .Chuck out less,means buy less,means less animals die

Makes no more difference than people who buy too much AND eat too much. I don't get why people get angry about waste, but not about overeating because the effect is the same.

Buying only what is going to be needed, that is the target!
It does not work for us trying to get a weekly shopping trip.
So I am trying to buy what I am cooking today or tomorrow, but to be honest, fitting a trip to the supermarket in the daily routine is s challenge, and local shops are just too expensive.
This is my next challenge in eco-friendly living!
I hope they do not count as food waste the peelings, and so on. I get lots of those, because we cook mainly vegetables, so there are always piles of peelings left behind.

But this extreme views that some "eco friendly" people are spreading is a deterrant to anyone getting a start on it. Now people is stupid for eating meat! Well....
Use of fosil fuels and deforestation are the main problem on the global warming.
And pollution, landfills and plastic the other factors affecting the environment.
Cows in farms are not attempting to change the environment. And, these eco experts should know that the grass locks carbon, the cow uses it, we do eat cow, waste goes back to environment, but in the meantime there is grass in that field, it will happen to lock it back again. Zero carbon emission! It is the overuse of energy and CO2 from fosil fuels, alongside the deforestation which break the balance of this cycle.
There are some plant crops that need more water and energy than farm animals, plus wanting fancy crops have lead to the loss of vast rainforest areas.
Let's all have plenty of plants and trees in our houses and gardens, that will reduce our carbon footprint. And these lovely new buildings that have gardens incorporated are the best idea yet!

@Gwenhwyfar

"what is depressing about putting a loaf in the freezer and taking out what you need when you need it?"

The bread curls and it's harder to fit it into the toaster. Plus just doesn't taste nice.

Toast it from frozen. Makes a big difference.

@DelurkingAJ

Do people have DC with predictable appetites? DS1 (9) eats half what I do on some days and outeats me comfortably on others. So he might eat two meatballs or he might eat five…and yes, I usually save anything not eaten that’s in the pan but one meatball isn’t worth it.

I'm in this camp too.

We don't throw away much, I think meal planning definitely helps (plan 7 meals for the week, and then when home with the shopping plan what to have when going by the dates of stuff), and buying reasonable amounts with a view to topping up if needed- like with bread and milk. Some meals admittedly end up being really random, usually pasta bakes can encompass a wide variety of random veg and other bits!

@MuchTooTired

Holding my hands up here! I waste a fair amount of food. I’ve thought about the financial impact, but never the eco impact before so this thread has been eye opening for me. I’m also feeling rather ashamed.

A lot of our waste stems from tiredness - we’ve young kids, life is busy and I’ve caring responsibilities too. Kids are fussy eaters, we’re perma shattered and I’m not a very good cook. Maybe all of these seem like excuses, and maybe they are, but these are the reasons I’ve thought of during reading this thread.

I’ll put my thinking cap on about how to reduce our waste from here onwards even if it’s only being more mindful whilst I shop rather than buying stacks because I’m too tired and don’t want to go shopping again anytime soon.

Typical food that we tend to waste are fruit, veg and meat. Ones that rarely last to go off are milk and bread. Does anyone know of a good website with recipes for lazy and pretty rubbish cooks that are quick and easy please?!

We wasted a lot more food when we had small kids too - I worked an 8 hour day, and I just didn't have the energy to do all the right things with food. Ironically the times when we wasted least food were when we bought more pre-packaged food, but then we were throwing away a lot of packaging rubbish.

They're all late teens now, and even when I had all four of them living at home during Covid it was much easier to waste less food as I had more energy to deal with it, and their appetites were so enormous that all food in the house got eaten :-)

I still can't believe any sentient, educated woman in Western society actually eats meat. Perhaps they don't know how it is produced, or they don't care. It's terrible.

Well, you're very silly then.

@TheKeatingFive

There only me. I eat 2 slices a day in toast and 2 more every other day as a sandwich.

What about buying rolls or part baked rolls instead?

I buy rolls but they don’t stay any fresher.

Part baked ones I keep as emergency supplies - I’ve never seen rolls but I do keep two of the part baked baguettes.

I have to have my routine in the morning and that’s toast.

I have made toast from frozen bread and they are perfect! You cannot tell the difference at all.
I just put the bag in the freezer.take two slices out, put straight in toaster and they come out perfect!

My problem is not leftovers or cooked food, but more just not getting around to using something before it goes off. I live alone and some pack sizes are just not practical for me but then I still want to have those foods - for example any bagged salad including rocket and baby spinach that only comes in bags. Fruit and veg in general is unpredictable, sometimes I think those satsumas or peaches will be fine tomorrow and nope, turns out they've gone mouldy overnight. Not everything can be frozen either... sliced bread maybe yes, but a frozen sourdough or a crusty roll is horrible, freezing only works if you're planning to toast it.

@Gohugatree

Our food is too cheap. What we pay in no way reflects the cost to produce.

Taking a piece of bread, frozen when fresh, and sticking it in the toaster results in a piece of toast, nothing more, nothing less.

I guess many will not take the issue seriously until there isn't enough food to go round.

Is there going to be not enough food to go round?

I used to freeze bread when I was a student as it took ages to get through a loaf, but I don't think it tasted the same as toast made from fresh bread! But not so terrible it's not a good option for those who don't want to waste it.

I waste very little, I'd rather have the extra money.
I do but frozen, or freeze fresh stuff individually though since there's just me.