Is this perhaps harder than reducing energy consumption or use of plastics?

The main reasons for households to throw food away are;

    Not used in time – this counts for about 40% of wasted food

    Personal taste – 28%

    Cooked or prepared too much – 25%

Families throw away about £720 of edible food a year so £60 a month is wasted. The consequences of this waste are;

    Money is being thrown away

    A large area of farmland is effectively wasted as the food never gets eaten

    Producing this food puts masses of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

Why might reducing food waste be hard to do? We would need to

    Shop more carefully, trying to buy just what we need.

    Be aware of the use-by dates of food we are buying.

    Be aware of the use-by dates of the food in our house and use up food that must be eaten first.

    Plan meals 4/5/6 days in advance and shop accordingly.

    Use any left-over fruit, vegetables and peelings as compost.

    Use suitable left-overs to feed pets.

    Experiment on the right amount to cook e.g. use a measuring jug for rice, scales for pasta, etc.

    Save left-overs after cooking and use them later, in the fridge for the next day and the freezer for longer.

    Arrange to share with/sell to a friend if there are multi-buy savings on perishable goods if you can’t use them all.

Although it may mean changing how we live a little, it will be worth doing to save the planet!