Two thirds of us admit we don't write a shopping list - a task which could save your household £145 a year
Don't bin it if you can possibly avoid itBritish families needlessly throw away £700 worth of food every year, new research has revealed.
Over a third of households don’t reuse leftovers and admit to dumping perfectly edible food.
Each year 7 million tonnes are thrown away with over half of it being chucked due to overbuying, confusion over expiry dates and cooking more than needed.
The figures come from a survey of more than 5,000 people commisioned by supermarket Sainsbury .
Now the chain is set to give away one million thermometres to ensure fridges are set at the right temperature to help prolong the life of fresh food.
And it has also teamed up with environmental charities WRAP and Hubbub to urge Brits to share food with neighbours when rather than binning it.
Sainsbury’s CEO, Mike Coupe, said: “Wasting food has become so normal there is now no stigma attached to throwing food away.
“We are giving away the thermometers to help our customers keep their food fresher for longer, cutting waste and saving money.”
Amy McAllister with her waste food compost bin pictured at home in Clarkston.
Bread is the most thrown away item, followed by bags of salad and vegetables.
The report found that while Brits are savvy about changing energy suppliers with a third doing so saving £200 a year, a quarter of households spent £235 a year on duplicate purchases.
Two thirds admitted to not writing a shopping list - a simple task which could save each household £145 a year.
And only three per cent of people asked felt there was any stigma attached food waste.
The supermarket first gave away branded thermometers to 300 residents in Swadlincote, Derbyshire - the test site for its £10m ‘Waste Less, save more’ project - in January where it plans to reduce food waste by a half in a year.
Around 75 per cent of people who used them changed their fridge temperatures as a result.
The campaign has also seen the launch of free app Olio which connects neighbours with each other as well as local businesses so surplus food can be share.
So far over 2,000 items have been redistributed - a project that could see it rolled out across the country.
Richard Swannell, director at WRAP, said: “Wasting good costs the average family £700 a year which is money that could be spent on everyday essentials.”
How to avoid food waste
BOX CLEVER
Eggs stay fresher longer in the fridge
Keep your eggs fresher for longer in the box in the fridge.
GO BANANAS
Bananas
Keep your bananas out of your fruit bowl as they make other fruit ripen more quickly, and no one likes brown apples.
HARD CHEESE?
Keep your extra cheese grated in the freezer
Grate it, then freeze it and it’ll be good to use in cooking.
DON’T GO ALL MUSHY
Keep the stone in your avocado
Halved avocados last longer in the fridge with their stone in. Or freeze halves you are not going to use.
USE YOUR LOAF
Never, ever keep your loaf in the fridge
Keep bread in a cool dark place but never the fridge. Store in a sealed bag and if freezing it slice uncut loaves first as it can be toasted from frozen.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
Remember, best before is about quality, not safety
Use by date is about safety and the most important date to remember. Foods can be eaten (and most can be frozen) up until the use by date, but not after.
Best before date is about quality and not safety. The food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best.
NEWS REFERANCE: MIRROR
