10 top tips to avoid food waste

Food waste is a major problem in our society and affects us all. Together with YOU, we would like to reduce everyday food waste. It’s often easier than you might think: we can all be much savvier and more mindful when buying, storing and preparing food. Will you join us? Here are our top tips for avoiding food waste. Let’s get started!

Tip 1: Get savvy about shopping

Consider what food you actually need before you go shopping. Draw up a meal plan and think about how long fruit, vegetables, bread and other perishables will keep. This means that your shopping basket will not contain any unnecessary items that will not be used at home and will ultimately go to waste.

Tip 2: Don’t (always) listen to your gut

Try not to shop when you are hungry. Otherwise, you are likely to choose food that you didn’t actually want to buy. It’s better to purchase only the amount of food that you can really use in a short space of time.

Tip 3: Give the “ugly produce” a chance!

Imperfection is sometimes perfect. Cucumbers, apples, courgettes and other vitamin-rich foods do not always have to be completely unblemished. Ugly produce also tastes delicious and should not be overlooked. Have a heart for the outcast and put an end to food waste.

Tip 4: Take home your leftovers from the restaurant

In many countries it is customary to have the leftovers packed up after a meal. These doggy bags are a great way of avoiding waste as otherwise the uneaten food would be thrown away. Pack your bag!

Tip 5: Store fruit, vegetables and other foods correctly

It is important to store food correctly. Products with a long shelf life, such as pasta, flour, couscous, lentils and oils should be kept in a dry area, away from light. Fruit like bananas, pineapple or oranges can be stored at room temperature. Lettuce, vegetables and even grapes, berries and pears like to be in the vegetable drawer in your fridge. Always remove the plastic packaging. For more storage tips, take a look at our blog post on this subject.

Tip 6: Snip with skill

When chopping fruit and vegetables, you often end up throwing more than what is necessary into the rubbish bin. Yet some of these excellent sources of vitamins can be eaten in their entirety. Banana skins can be added to smoothies, broccoli stalks taste delicious and the leaves from radishes, carrots and beetroot are also edible.

Tip 7: Use up older products quickly

Wrinkly fruit and vegetables might not look too attractive any more, but they are still too good for the bin. Fresh produce that you have had for a long time is still ideal for soups, purées or gratins. These fruit and vegetables still look (and taste) fantastic in such dishes.

Tip 8: Know your best before dates

Sound familiar? You see that the best before date has passed on the packaging and throw the cheese, sausage or yoghurt into the bin straight away? To avoid this food waste, you need to know the following: the best before date only indicates the date up to which the product will still live up to its advertised properties – it is not an expiry date.

Tip 9: Share food

Sharing is caring. If your fridge is still full before you go on holidays, check with your friends or neighbours as it may be possible to share your food with them. An increasing number of public centres also accept leftover food from private households. Give it a try!

Tip 10: Simply make your food last longer

To prevent your food from going off, freezing is an ideal option. Another – very trendy – method of preservation is fermentation. This malolactic fermentation process, as it is known, is also extremely healthy. It can be used to preserve pumpkins, carrots, berries and many other types of fruit and vegetables for months and helps to retain several nutrients.

Save your food!