{"id":1369,"date":"2012-06-15T11:46:56","date_gmt":"2012-06-15T11:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vwa.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1369"},"modified":"2025-04-22T11:39:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T11:39:12","slug":"food-safety-week-2012-meal-planning-saves-food-waste-fsw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vwa.co.uk\/blog\/food-safety-week-2012-meal-planning-saves-food-waste-fsw\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Safety Week \u2013 meal planning saves food waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Love Food Hate Waste<\/strong>, as consumers we waste a whopping 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year. That\u2019s around \u00a350 of good food thrown away by each family every month.<\/p>\n

There are several reasons why food is wasted: we buy more than we need \u2013 often seduced by \u2018Buy One Get One Free\u2019 or similar offers; we don\u2019t store food properly; we forget about it; we don\u2019t feel like eating it on a particular day; or perhaps our plans change and we eat out instead.<\/p>\n

As part of Food Safety Week the FSA and Love Food Hate Waste are urging people to plan meals in advance before they go shopping. This can save money<\/a> as well as avoiding wasting food. Here are a few tips to consider next time you\u2019re planning a shopping trip.<\/p>\n

Plan ahead<\/h2>\n

Plan your meals for the week and write down what you need to buy. Check the fridge and freezer first to avoid buying something that you already have. It\u2019s a good idea to include a couple of meals from the freezer, so that if your plans change and you\u2019re not at home for a particular meal your fresh food won\u2019t go to waste.<\/p>\n

Try and stick to your shopping list<\/h2>\n

Impulse buys can be expensive and if they\u2019re not part of your original list it could lead to something else being wasted. Multi-buy offers can offer great value<\/a> and are difficult to ignore, but if you do go for them try and adjust your meal planner for the week to accommodate them. You could keep one pack and freeze the other or cook larger portions and freeze them for another time.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to check \u2018Use by\u2019 dates<\/h2>\n

If you are going to freeze food, make sure you do this before the \u2018Use by\u2019 date. You should also label and date the food<\/a> before putting it in the freezer so that you know how long it\u2019s been there.<\/p>\n

Make soups and stews<\/h2>\n

If you find yourself with meat on its \u2018Use By\u2019 date and vegetables that have been hanging around for a few days, you could avoid wastage by making casseroles, stews or soups. These can be consumed the same day or cooled down and stored in the freezer.<\/p>\n

Using up bread<\/h2>\n

Bread keeps easily in the freezer and you can simply remove a slice or two as and when you need them. If you do find yourself with half a loaf of bread that\u2019s a couple of days past it\u2019s \u2018Best Before\u2019 date, you could always make croutons to go with your soup or why not make a Bread and Butter Pudding:<\/p>\n

Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe<\/h2>\n

(From allrecipes.co.uk)<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/p>\n

Serves: 12<\/p>\n