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?

@Baystard I have two DC who don't always like the same things as us so the oddities work really well for us. Don't like salmon? Then here have this portion of lasagne! DH works a late shift once a week too so I will get DC fed and then reheat a leftover portion for him when he gets home.

I do the freezing meat thing too. I swear the chest freezer was one of our best purchases. I buy 2 weeks worth of meat at a time and then shift about the meal plan based on veg freshness.

@Wingedharpy

Apologies *@ZZTopGuitarSolo*. The first part of my post was directed at you personally, to ask about your interesting sounding bags.

The second part was just my general musings, directed to all posters.
I wasn't pulling you up for not doing as I do, though, I can see it may have read that way.

"Trader Joes" sounds American to me so, in the spirit of saving the planet, I'd better not board a flight from UK to come shopping for your mesh bags, much as I like the sound of them

I think the kind of bags she means you can get in Sainsburys, in their fruit & veg aisle. They're drawstring, white bags designed to be used for buying loose fruit & veg, then (obv) storing at home. I've a few, they cost around 30p each iirc. You can also buy different sizes of similar bags from Lakeland.

I like them very much - the downside is so much fresh produce is still not available loose in supermarkets, though this is improving. Organic options for example are inevitably plastic wrapped, and not all that wrap is currently recyclable.

i always kept bread in the freezer, taking out the slices for sandwiches every day.
lately there is no room in the freezer
we are on a mission to eat the contents and then i will freeze the bread.
why cant people eat bread crusts though?

The crusts are the best bit!!!

Crusts are lame and considering bread is made in factories these days and not lovingly baked by grandmas I don't understand why bread still has it

In France they are banning plastic packaging on fruit and veg from 1 January!!

you can actually buy smaller loaves of bread

Also if you have some green veg that's starting to look a bit sad Blanche it and freeze to use later.

I had half a bag of onions and 3 peppers last week that I knew we wouldn't use before they went soft so I chopped them all up and froze in two bags for things like fajitas.

I try to get the “little loaf” loaves in my home deliveries. They are invariably substituted. I can only get them occasionally if I happen to be in store at the right time.

I personally hate food waste in my home. But its just the tip of the iceberg of general overconsumption. Most people not only waste food by throwing it away, but also by consuming much more of if than we actually need. So, until the day I eat only my nutrional requirements, I'm not going to be taking a moral high ground over people (who may have different circumstances from me, such as fluctuating appetite, dietary requirements, no freezer etc) throwing food away.

All the quibbling about whether food fed to animals counts or whether composted food counts - does it really matter??

We as a nation are wasting food. Lots of attention has been heaped on food waste from retailers and they have addressed that for PR reasons and to increase their profits. Restaurants don't want food waste either - it's straight off their profit margin.

But these people routinely chucking stuff out? I get the issue with online orders but there are ways round this. Don't order the salad bags and the soft fruit which does go off quickly! Order apples and pears and bananas and whole carrots and lettuces which last longer. If you want to buy soft fruit and salad, go at the weekend or when you're not working and select it yourself. It seems ridiculous to moan that on every online order you get (for example) raspberries which are a day to their use by date - and keep ordering the raspberres!

Also agree there is a huge issue around cooking and knowing how to use leftovers. One of my kids' favourites is home made samosas made with filo pastry - they're not really samosas as they are baked not fried but they are brilliant for using up odd bits of veg, or small quantities of meat which wouldn't be enough for a meal on their own.

Almost all my food waste comes from my toddler. He does not eat lunch or dinner- never (I'm sure he'll end up malnourished but that's another thread!) However, I feel I still have to give him a meal because a) it's not really acceptable to not feed your child b) I at least want him to sit down with the rest of the family, with a meal.

I've tried to get the food waste to a minimum by giving him a tiny portion or making my portion smaller in anticipation that I'll end up with his as well! But sometimes there are leftovers that are were just not going to eat - a spoonful of mash and 1/2 sausage, for example! Especially if it's been on the floor

it is very rare i have food waste,
the main culprit is the bags of salad,
the blame lies with online shopping, which is done as a time saver.

i have a colleague who roasts a chicken, eats it for sunday lunch, and then throws it away

@TheKeatingFive

The turning noses up at 'leftovers' is really shocking. I also struggle to understand it. Nothing I like more food wise than leftover chicken from a roast. The possibilities are endless.

A lot of cooked food is tastier the day after it's cooked imo, especially stews and things like that.

And cooked chicken is great for pie fillings or a pasta bake, especially if you have some ham or gammon to add to it.

@MLMshouldbeillegal

All the quibbling about whether food fed to animals counts or whether composted food counts - does it really matter??

We as a nation are wasting food. Lots of attention has been heaped on food waste from retailers and they have addressed that for PR reasons and to increase their profits. Restaurants don't want food waste either - it's straight off their profit margin.

But these people routinely chucking stuff out? I get the issue with online orders but there are ways round this. Don't order the salad bags and the soft fruit which does go off quickly! Order apples and pears and bananas and whole carrots and lettuces which last longer. If you want to buy soft fruit and salad, go at the weekend or when you're not working and select it yourself. It seems ridiculous to moan that on every online order you get (for example) raspberries which are a day to their use by date - and keep ordering the raspberres!

Also agree there is a huge issue around cooking and knowing how to use leftovers. One of my kids' favourites is home made samosas made with filo pastry - they're not really samosas as they are baked not fried but they are brilliant for using up odd bits of veg, or small quantities of meat which wouldn't be enough for a meal on their own.

Even if you do all the things you're telling other people to do OP, it probably doesn't balance the environmental impact of your meat consumption. Which is fine, each to their own, but if you're passionate enough to want to lecture other people, why not go all in?

@SpookyScarySkeletons

Also if you have some green veg that's starting to look a bit sad Blanche it and freeze to use later.

I had half a bag of onions and 3 peppers last week that I knew we wouldn't use before they went soft so I chopped them all up and froze in two bags for things like fajitas.

I've tried blanching and freezing "spare" cabbage and broccoli, and it seems to lose its texture and flavour.

I must be doing something wrong ...

My local council used to do food waste collection and then stopped.

I'm disabled and what I cook depends on my health.

I now use meals on wheels if I have a flare up but I can't predict it.

Since lockdown I am using supermarket deliveries so can't buy 3 mushrooms and they don't freeze.

I do meal plan and I try to plan with what I'm buying eg if I get a whole chicken it will be cooked and some eaten immediately, the rest of the meat is taken off and made into a soup or frozen or made into a curry, the carcass is then used to make a stock but I have to be healthy enough to cook on 3 consecutive days.

One great thing about our rented house in Copenhagen is not only do I have a good fridge freezer, we have a vast basement with an enormous double sized stand up freezer. I have thrown away far less— those chicken breasts I didn’t get round to cooking, that ready meal not eaten, day before best before— in the freezer they go!! Honestly I can’t say how much less waste we’ve had and would prioritise a good full size freezer in next house too

I don't meal plan and I throw away hardly anything also.

We never stick to recipes in this house. You just stick your head in the fridge and see a) what needs eating and if not b) think about what you'd like and crack on.

Environment aside, I loathe wasting things. It just wasn't the way I was brought up. Everything that can be mended or repurposed in our house was.

I dont eat meat and I hate seeing people throw meat away it's like the animal died for nothing

@tarasmalatarocks same here. Extra fridge and freezer in our garage, it’s great!

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.

ODFOD

@JollyJoon

I dont eat meat and I hate seeing people throw meat away it's like the animal died for nothing

My cats can eat it up no problem

I'd ban best before and use by dates to prevent food waste. They are waaaay too cautious and many people fixate on them. For most items it is really easy to tell off something is off.

@JollyJoon

I dont eat meat and I hate seeing people throw meat away it's like the animal died for nothing

I agree.