Reduce the amount of food you waste
We support Love Food Hate Waste
Love Food Hate Waste helps people waste less food. It gives simple tips to help you save money and protect the environment.
Why it matters
In the UK, we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year. Over half of this could have been eaten.
Wasting food costs the average family with children around £700 a year - that’s about £60 a month.
The foods we waste most are:
- fresh vegetables
- salad
- fresh fruit
- bread and cakes
How wasting food affects us
Food waste doesn’t just cost money. It also wastes:
- water
- energy
- packaging
About 1 in 5 things we buy ends up in the bin. Around 60% of that could have been eaten.
Why we waste food
Most food is wasted because:
- we cook too much
- we don’t eat it in time
What you can do
You can save money and waste less by:
- cooking only what you need. Use a measuring tool or the Love Food Hate Waste portion planner
- using leftovers to make quick and tasty meals
- checking your fridge every day and planning meals around food that needs using up
- checking ‘use by’ dates and freezing food if you won’t eat it in time
- keeping your fridge between 0°C and 5°C
- making a shopping list before you go to the shop
- only buying multi-packs if you know you’ll use them
For recipes and more tips, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.