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Original poster

If these figures are true we should be ashamed of ourselves

65 replies

Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 22:59

BBC news story

The figures here about food waste are staggering and appalling. What is going on out there? Have we lost all the life skills of our predecessors?

OP posts:
HarrogateMum · 08/05/2008 23:06

I regularly ignore the best before dates on food and rely on my instinct to sniff and taste and tell if the food is ok to eat or not! And I have never been ill as a result. I try so hard not to waste any food, all leftovers go in the fridge and are incorporated into the next days lunch or dinner wherever poss!!

Anyway, how are you Twinklemegan, we met when I was pg with DD and she is now 17 months old, have you moved from Northallerton since?

amytheearwaxbanisher · 08/05/2008 23:08

must admit im a bit of a food waster but dh is adament[anal]about all food being used so all meat is frozen until needed and so on.i dont think about it until i see those ads of starving children then i try very hard not to waste anything

Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:09

Hi HarrogateMum - I last saw you on a thread about Harrogate but as I'd been less than complementary I didn't flag you down.

Yes we moved to Inverness about 7 months ago would you believe? We're very rural with a fantastic view and we love it. How are you and your DD?

OP posts:
SNoraWotzThat · 08/05/2008 23:10

Buy one get one free - what a great idea?
NO - because you throw it away. Just buy what you went in for.

Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:12

And back to the thread, I agree with HM - I figure that our parents and grandparents didn't have all these best before dates on everything and they were OK, more than OK in fact.

I feel so guilt if I ever have to throw anything out because I've let it go off - that hasn't happened for ages thankfully. Things get eaten up come what may in this house. But I'll admit this is just as much because we're on a tight budget as it is for ethical reasons.

Are we just too used to having unlimited quantities of cheap (ish) food?

OP posts:
Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:13

I do BOGOF quite often, but only if it's something I can freeze.

OP posts:
HarrogateMum · 08/05/2008 23:14

TM - we are all good. DD is running around like crazy with her red curls bouncing around! Plus I have the DTs who are 3.5 who keep me busy (and eat all the food to keep on thread!)

Frizbe · 08/05/2008 23:18

I think its because most of us shop once a week now, instead of once a day, way back in the good old days people used to shop daily for most foodstuffs, deciding what to eat on the day, now people tend to not mealplan so much, so have more foodstuff in, that may not get used.

Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:18

That sounds like a hectic house! I'm off to bed now, but we must catch up again.

OP posts:
Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:20

But as usual I can't drag myself away... I just can't understand it - the idea of buying more than we can eat in a week just doesn't figure in our house.

OP posts:
Tortington · 08/05/2008 23:21

yeah all them skills -

right i was taught how to make a good stew.

thats it

Original poster
Twinklemegan · 08/05/2008 23:29

Just basic budgeting and common sense - that's what I'm talking about. I was never taught how to cook properly either.

OP posts:
Tortington · 08/05/2008 23:34

oh i see, i do apologise.

pinkyminky · 08/05/2008 23:44

I saw this recently- it's quite disgusting. We used to throw stuff away, but now we supermarket once a month and just buy enough fresh fruit and veg once a week, we compost all raw leftovers,trimming etc. and I weigh out portions much more carefully. Along with the other recycling we only fill our dustbin once a fortnight or so now, and very little of that is food. With two little ones I think that's a significant improvement. Agree with twinkle re bogof and tight budget.

pinkyminky · 08/05/2008 23:45

We cook 'from scratch' - is this an undesirable thing?

Pan · 09/05/2008 00:00

Curious as to why the estimates for restaurants/hotels/bistros/cafes aren't shown as well. The percentage waste in establishments are maaaasive, but individual families are invited to feel some sort of shame.
Ask restaurants to show their level of waste? No. That is hidden as a 'business cost'.

Tortington · 09/05/2008 00:00

if you desire it - how could it be undesirable.

pinkyminky · 09/05/2008 00:08

sorry just a bit confused by the posts about cooking properly. Got the impression it was somehow not 'the done thing'. Prolly got the wrong end of the stick.

Pan, I think the thing I caught was on R4, possibly woman's hour, and it did cover restaurants and other food places.

Pan · 09/05/2008 00:12

ok, pinky.

"cooking properly/carefully" DOES take alot of preplanning and budgetting, and the 'instant/now' society we are encouraged to partake in militates against care and patience, n'est-ce pas? Companies do like to thrust the buy-now ethos - it's all expendable - and it takes a degree of thought to stand back from that.

Tortington · 09/05/2008 00:33

i can't ever see a mumsnet where cooking from scratch isn't superior

pinkyminky · 09/05/2008 00:40

Absolutely agree. Though we have always cooked from scratch- ie no ready meals/ prepared ingredients, other than say ready made pasta, it still requires care not to make too much food, or just a bit too much,rather than enough to do another meal, say. Having to work to a tight budget has really concentrated things for me and DH in this regard. We also use up what's in the freezer and pantry much more now- and that is down to saving money, really, despite the fact that trying to be environmentally friendly has always been important to me.

ps custardo- I have been on a steep learning curve re-stew etc. I'm new to meat as I've been veggie since I was 9!

Tortington · 09/05/2008 00:42

you just stick it in a pot with some stock. and potatoes and veg

let it stew for ages.

thares nothing to it

madamez · 09/05/2008 00:45

Good point, Pan. There's also the fuss about sell-by dates and scaremongering about various foodstuffs from mad people like that stupid phoney diet 'doctor' who tells people that everything they are doing is wrong and goes through their cupboards binning things... but what's the betting this is going to turn into yet another 'Women. Know Your Place. This is ALl Your Fault because you want to do things other than service your family' type crusade.
I don't think I waste much as I freeze a lot, but if DS doesn't eat all his meal and has poked it about with his fingers and snotted in it then sorry, the leftovers of that plateful are going in the bin.

pinkyminky · 09/05/2008 00:46

So DH tells me. I'm getting there. It's all just a bit alien to me- I worry the meat isn't cooked, and I certainly don't choose the meat as I'm not sure what I'm looking at/for. But I'm learning!

pinkyminky · 09/05/2008 00:50

I spotted a composter in a booklet from CAT that you bury and can putt all food waste in, including cooked. It looked good, but cost 100 pounds! Prolly a good investment but we don't have the cash.

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