Waste Not Want Not

Throwing away unused food is a preventable problem, with our seven simple tips

- Becky Dickinson

A colossal 7.2 million tonnes of food are wasted each year in the UK. That’s equivalent to one in five bags of shopping! So here are some tips to help keep food out of the bin – and money in your pocket.

1 Say no to BOGOFs (‘buy one, get one free’)

If buying two means one will end up in the bin, leave it on the shelf. The same goes for those bumper sacks of potatoes and super-sized slabs of cheese. They only work out cheaper if you can use the whole lot, otherwise it’s money and food just chucked away.

2 Bigger isn’t always better

If you’re cooking mountains of food, only for half of it to end up in the dog’s bowl, get to know your portion sizes. An adult portion of dry rice or pasta, say, is around 75g. That’s around two handfuls, but if you’re not sure, use the scales.