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Time to Take Stock: New Year, New Habits to Stop Food Waste!

Ah, the new year – a time to reflect, take stock and set new intentions. It can be tempting to make grand resolutions to change the world, or ourselves, and unfortunately, we often set ourselves up for failure by trying to do too much too quickly. However, when it comes to stopping food waste, even small actions can have a big impact!

Did you know that 10% of all climate emissions come from food waste?
Or that between 25% – 30% of all food that is produced worldwide is wasted?

According to our 2020 National Survey, 93% of people agreed that we all have a responsibility to minimise the food we throw away. We all know that we contribute something to this global problem, but that also means we all have the potential to make a change by adopting better habits to reduce food waste – something which nearly 30% of Irish people have already done during the 2020 lockdown. Whether you want to do more or you’re taking your first steps, we’re here to help.

This January, we’re inviting everyone to ‘Take Stock’ of their food waste to raise awareness of how much food we waste, and which produce we waste most commonly. Understanding this is the first step to taking action to reduce our own food waste.

So, if you’re ready to join the Stop Food Waste movement, let’s take stock:

Take Stock – what food are you wasting the most?

For a few days, separate out your food waste – if you don’t already have a compost bin, set up a temporary caddy or bowl for food waste that you’d normally put into your general bin You might typically throw food out without thinking about it, but instead, really LOOK at what’s going in. Make a note of what your most common types of food waste are. You could put a notepad on a counter or set up a ‘note’ file on your phone.

The ‘Why’ behind your waste –

Once you know what’s comprising the bulk of your food waste, you need to think about why that’s the case. We often throw out the same types of food, for the same reasons on a regular basis.

Maybe it’s because your plans have changed?
Or you cooked too much?
Or perhaps you didn’t use it up before it passed it’s ‘use by’ date?

Commit to reducing your food waste as part of your New Year’s resolutions

Now that you know what food you’re wasting the most of, and why that’s the case, commit to addressing the problem. It can be more manageable to focus on doing one or two specific things really well.

Leftovers:

Put your leftovers in clear Tupperware so you know what’s inside.
Turn your leftovers into delicious meals using our Leftover Cookbook.
Get your portion sizes right and let people help themselves to avoid over-loading.

Fruit and Veg:

Buy loose fruit and veg so you have the exact amount that you need.
How you store your fruit and veg has a massive impact on how long it lasts. Check out our Food Guide for tips by food type.

Bread:

Don’t keep bread in the fridge, it will last longer at room temperate.
If you won’t use a whole loaf before it goes stale, try freezing slices in pairs to defrost as you need.
If your bread does go stale, use it to make breadcrumbs or French toast.

Ready to Take Stock? New Year, New Habits to Stop Food Waste!

We want to hear which small action you’re taking this January and to find out how you’re getting on. Follow us on social media for our weekly check-ins and tag us in your #StopFoodWaste posts to let us know how you’re getting on!

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