13 WAYS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE AT HOME

Before you throw food into the garbage bin or compost, try rethinking your habits. You won’t just help the planet by tossing out less food, you’ll also be saving money that could be better spent.

• Plan the week’s meals and shop just for the ingredients you’ll need. Too hard? Start by planning ahead for three days at a time.

• Plan your meals around vegetables that go bad faster. Spinach, lettuce and other greens are far more appetising when they’re fresh.

• Freeze uneaten portions of soups, stews and bolognese to eat for lunch or dinner on busy days.

• Label what you freeze with the date and what it is to keep track of what you need to reheat and eat first.

• Place food and leftovers you need to use up at the front of the fridge to remind you to eat those first.

• Turn leftovers into tasty new meals. Leftover salmon can be transformed into a salmon salad. Leftover chicken can be used in an omelette. Leftover cream can be frozen and used in soups.

• Have an empty-your-fridge day once a week to use up all your leftovers. Empty your freezer once a month.

• Store food so it stays fresher longer. Separate apples, pears, bananas and oranges from each other so they ripen more slowly. Store tomatoes, avocados, potatoes, bananas and citrus fruits out of the fridge.

• Keep your fridge temperature at between three and four degrees Celsius.

• While it isn’t advisable to eat food after its use-by date, you can eat food after its best-before date.

• Cook the right amount of food. Don’t cook enough for eight if there are only four people eating.

• Oxygen, moisture and heat cause food to go off. Store food in airtight containers that are the right size to reduce exposure to oxygen.

• Mushrooms, strawberries and cucumbers sweat. Store them with a paper towel to absorb moisture.