Don’t Waste Food and Money

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Even though official government figures say the cost of living has risen by just 2.5 percent in the past year, other reports suggest our food bills are expanding almost as quickly as our waistlines.

But despite the fact we’re spending more than ever on food, another study has also revealed we’re wasting more food than ever, too.

The report from the government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme shows that UK families throw out 27 percent of the food they purchase, wasting a massive £610 per year. That adds up to more than £10 billion pounds of food being binned every year in the UK! And just as price hikes have particularly affected healthier foods, ironically, it’s these foods we’re most likely to chuck.

Every day we throw away 4.4 million apples, 1.6 million bananas, 1.3 million pots of yogurts, 7 million slices of bread, 2.8 million tomatoes, 5.1 million potatoes, 4.4 million bread rolls, 1 million slices of ham, and more than half a million eggs.

So assuming our annual grocery bill costs us an extra £1,040 and then we bin £610 worth of food each year, on average, we’re potentially wasting a massive £1,650 a year on groceries – and most of this tends to be foods that ultimately will help us reduce our waistlines and the money we waste on food. The result: neither our bank balance or figure benefits!

Fortunately though, by scrutinising shopping lists, planning meals more carefully, reducing food waste and learning how to keep food at its best, it’s possible to make a massive dent in both our wallets and our waistlines.

Here’s my top tips to make sure you don’t waste food and money:

Slash Your Weekly Food Spend – Planning Your Food Shopping

Juliette Kellow shows you how to slash your food shopping with her top tips for planning.

Healthy Food Shopping on a Budget

Shopping on a budget, how to save money on food and not waste it.

The Art of Using Leftovers and Using up Cooked Food

Wasted food has an impact on our wallets and the environment. Here’s some tips for using leftovers.

Tasty Recipes for Leftovers

Rachael Hill shows you how to use leftover food in delicious, money saving recipes.