Reducing food waste

Globally, 25–30% of total food produced is lost or wasted, and food waste is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to contribute 8-10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter after China and the USA.

• Food waste from UK households and businesses is around 9.5 million tonnes
• The food that could have been eaten (6.4 Mt) would make the equivalent of over 15 billion meals – enough to feed the entire UK population three meals a day for 11 weeks.
• The GHGs associated with the 9.5 Mt of food waste in the UK is around 25 million tonnes CO2e – which is equivalent to c.5% of UK territorial emissions, and the same as 10 million cars (or one in three cars on UK roads).

Source: https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/food-drink/actions/action-on-food-waste

It's these statistics that have influenced this week's focus on the steps we can take as citizens to reduce the food we waste:

• having a meal plan; coupled with shopping smarter with a list, reducing what we buy, and therefore saving money and waste
• increasing the use of leftovers
• increasing the use of the freezer to keep food for longer rather than wasting
• increasing knowledge of the available food apps to reduce spend and minimise food waste.

Available at the end of this article are downloadable leaflets for information on eating right while reducing waste, successful meal planning and tips on what can / shouldn't be frozen. You can also visit the Love Food Hate waste website for more information for tailored advice based on your habits.

One way to minimise waste is meal planning, and 53% of colleagues that answered the pre-campaign survey state that they already do this. Deborah Astles, HR Director - Corporate Responsibility & Policy, spoke to us about the beauty of it, in an attempt to inspire the rest of us to give it a try.

"Back when I was struggling to juggle a full time job with three young children, one of the things I really hated was the daily grind of thinking of a meal to cook, followed closely by going to the supermarket and trying to figure out what to buy for the week.

I decided the answer was to get all the thinking over in one go and do a weekly meal plan and do a shopping list based on that plan - I’ve never looked back!

Doing the weekly plan means that I can:

• Schedule in a ‘batch cook’ (where I make a huge cauldron of something like curry or chili) that I can portion up and freeze
• Plan meals according to what everyone is doing (working late, taking the kids to football practice, having friends over for play dates etc.) and how much time is available so I know when we’ll need to dive into the freezer
• Make sure we have a good variety of dishes that everyone enjoys
• Keep an eye on how much processed food we’re consuming
• Vary the base of the meal - so one day rice, next day pasta, next day potatoes (hope it’s chips)
• Avoid expensive ready meals (that are often full of additives)
• Cut down on the arguments as we decide when we do the meal plan who’s cooking on what night
• Avoid the unbelievably annoying ‘What’s for dinner?’ question as we stick the plan to the fridge door so everyone can see it.

It also made it easier for us to sit down and eat as a family as less time was spent angrily rummaging about in the fridge trying to have an idea.

Our weekly shopping list is based on the meal plan, so we’re only buying what we need and consequently we spend less and throw out very little; and we are better able to avoid those ‘top up’ shops where you always end up spending more than you intended.

Even though we have an empty nest now, my husband and I still make a meal plan and stick to it - and even though they’ve moved out now, so do all my boys!

So if you want to save time, effort, and money, and reduce waste it’s simple - do a weekly meal plan."

There are lots of apps available that aim to reduce food waste or to change habits, click here to read the top 10 as featured in The Independent to celebrate World Earth Day on 22 April.

23.5% of our survey respondents have never heard of such apps. Too Good To Go is just one of the available apps and, founded in 2016 in Copenhagen, it is now available in over 14 countries.

Every day, unsold food from your favourite restaurants, grocery stores, cafés, and shops goes to waste simply because it hasn’t sold in time. The Too Good To Go app makes it easy to make a difference, allowing you to save Surprise Bags of good food at an even better price.

There are over 25 thousand businesses active on this platform, all with the common aim to minimise food waste by selling surprise bags of food - 23 million bags and counting. You can download the app to check out your nearest businesses by scanning the QR code below.

Please remain vigilant when sharing your information with an app, do your homework to keep yourself safe.

Other ways we can reduce our food waste, reduce the environmental impact we have, and save money, is to grow your own. Why not take a read of Carl Jones' story on his escape to the country here or click here to read the beginners guide on growing your own veg!

Please comment below on the ways you reduce food waste or if you have used any of the food waste apps, and what your thoughts were.

There is always someone you can talk to. For a confidential conversation with a caring colleague you can reach out to a Mental Health First Aider (see here for who they are) or you can call Lifeworks on 0800 169 1920 to speak in confidence with a counsellor.

If you are struggling or worried about your finances please know there is various help available. Please visit the Financial Wellbeing section on our Responsible Business webpage to see our collection of resources.

If you find that you need to access a Foodbank please visit your GP, Housing Association, Social Worker, or Citizens Advice Bureau to get a referral.