Love food, hate waste

Food waste - the facts

• People in Basingstoke and Deane are throwing away one third of the food they buy!
• The average family is throwing £800 into the bin every year.
• Around 8-10% of greenhouse gasses are caused by producing, transporting and the rotting of food that is wasted.

Wasted food is not only a waste of money, but is also a major contributor to climate change. The food we throw away means a waste of all the energy, water and packaging that is used in its production, transportation and storage.

The good news is that there a few quick and easy things we can all do to reduce the amount of food we throw away.

Storage heroes

There are lots of ways to make your food stay fresher for longer, for example

• there's not much that can't be frozen until it's needed
• if you have chicken breasts that you're not planning to eat straightaway, they can be cut into strips and frozen, to be defrosted quickly and used in a stir-fry later
• a lot of time can be saved by cooking a big dish, then dividing it into smaller portions to freeze for another time.

Perfect portions

We've all ended up cooking a bit too much food for dinner. It's easily done, especially with rice and pasta. The perfect thing for measuring a portion is probably sitting in one of your kitchen cupboards or drawers. A mug or tablespoon can be used to work out just the right amount.

Save time and money

Planning meals, keeping the cupboard and fridge stocked with basics, and keeping an eye on the 'best before' and 'use by' dates can take some of the hassle out of shopping.

Store cupboard essentials can make it easy to use up leftovers or ingredients that are nearing their 'use by' date. Jars of pasta sauce, tinned tomatoes, flour, Worcestershire sauce, pasta and rice are really useful to have around to turn those odds and ends into a tasty meal.

If you are confused about the difference between 'best before' and 'use by' labels, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Recipes and further information

Make the most of your leftovers with some fantastic recipes that are available to download on the bottom of this page.

Find out more about the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.