Stop Food Waste Day
Will you take the Stop Food Waste Day Challenge?
Know your food waste and see where you could make savings on your food bill!
Save the date! Wednesday the 1st of March is National Stop Food Waste Day and this year we’re asking you ‘Do you know which food you waste the most?‘
The Stop Food Waste Challenge
Starting from 1st March, we’re inviting you to record your food waste for one week to identify what types of food you waste most.
To record the food that goes into your food bin, you could:
- Keep a pen and pad by the food waste bin to take note each time you use it.
- Keep track of what you waste on your phone using the notes app.
- Use our Weekly Food Waste Recording Sheet to note what food goes in your food waste bin, click here.
During the Challenge, you can get everyone in your house to record what food goes to waste or you can designate one person to be your ‘Food Waste Tracker’, whatever works for you!
At the end of the week, tally up your results and see which types of food you wasted the most. By knowing what food you waste the most, you can now see where you can make savings on your food bill and take action!
Here’s what we know
The average Irish household can save around €700 a year by avoiding food waste. In the most recent national food waste attitudes survey, commissioned by the EPA, three food types were identified as those wasted most often in Ireland:
- Bread (41%)
- Fruit (39%)
- Vegetables (38%)
If you find you waste any of these food types, or perhaps all three, don’t worry, you’re not alone! The good news is, there are easy steps we can all take to stop food waste:
we can buy less, store better, eat it or freeze it.
Here’s how you can take action
After taking the Stop Food Waste Challenge, you will Know Your Food Waste. The next step is knowing how to reduce it. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Bread – Freeze it and Eat It!
- You can freeze bread if you have too much. Find out how to make the most of bread.
- You don’t need to throw out stale bread. Find out how to stop wasting bread with Jamie Oliver’s top tips.
Fruit – Store Better and Eat It!
- Store apples in the fridge so they last longer – they will store for up to 1 month!
- Use your over-ripe bananas to whizz up a quick and delicious smoothie. To kick start your day try this banana & oat breakfast smoothie.
Vegetables – Buy Less and Eat It!
- You can buy potatoes singly or in different package sizes. A large bag of spuds is only good value if they are eaten. Find out more about potatoes.
- Tired-looking and floppy veggies are still nutritious and can make a yummy meal. Try SafeFood’s Vegetable Provencal recipe.
Will you take the Stop Food Waste Day Challenge?
Whether you’re joining us on the seven-day challenge starting on Stop Food Waste Day on 1st of March, of you’re taking this challenge in your own time, we want to hear how you get on!
Share your results with us on social media by using the hashtag #KnowYourFoodWaste and tagging @stopfoodwaste.ie
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