How to make food go further

Did you know the average UK household wastes around £60 worth of food a month? That’s £720 per year! In fact, about 1/3 of all food that gets produced is wasted meaning that if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of climate changing greenhouse gases after China and the US.  

Most of the food we throw away could have been saved from the bin if we’d shopped and cooked smarter, and shared food that we weren’t able to eat.   

What we eat also has an impact on the environment. A huge 25% of global emissions come from food and more than half of this comes from animal products. Meat, especially beef and lamb, has a higher carbon footprint because of the land, water, and energy used to feed and rear animals and the emissions produced by animals themselves (yes that’s cows belching!).  

The good news is that we have daily opportunities to make a difference with our forks. 

1. Plan and shop smart 

A minute of planning helps you to save food, time and money. Check your fridge and cupboards first and write a list. You can also plan some of your meals using a simple meal planner or the Kitche app which helps you check in with your shelf. Only buy a deal if you can eat it, freeze or store it for later on - you can batch cook and freeze some meals as backups for a rainy day or to take for lunch. Try out wonky veg for a discount and buy loose items to get only the amounts you need.  

2. Know your labels and store it right 

Have you ever been confused by whether food is good to eat? You’re not alone. "Best before' labels are about quality rather than safety, so food past it's best before is perfectly good to eat for a while longer - just smell and taste to be sure. Use-by on the other hand is about food safety, so keep an eye on those date labels, buying items that will last longer if you can’t eat them straight away. Remember freezing food is like pressing the pause button and storing things properly can make food last longer and taste better. Your freezer is your best friend, increased freezer use could save you up to £270 on food bills.   

3. Eat less, better meat 

Going veggie (and eating less dairy and eggs) is a great way to reduce your impact, but you don’t have to completely cut out meat to make a difference, as one less burger a week is the same as taking a car off the road for a whopping 320 miles. Try the 5:2 approach where you eat meat twice a week and simply swap meat in your usual recipes for vegetables and grains. Check out this guide to eating less meat or download meat free versions of nation’s favourite dishes. If you do buy meat, go for the best quality you can afford. Watch this video on how to start eating 'less but better' meat and dairy 

4. Embrace the season 

We are used to buying foods whenever we want. Yet when it comes to the environmental impact of a meal, eating more locally and seasonally produced food is a great (and tasty!) way to reduce your carbon footprint. This is because growing food out of season often requires energy-guzzling heated greenhouses to keep the conditions right. And food such as bananas that can’t be grown in the UK will often have travelled from the other side of the world, which needs plenty of fuel and packaging to ship and store safely - all of which increase the impact of your grub. Use this guide to eating seasonally to find out what British ingredients are in season when and for some delicious recipe inspiration too. Want to find the most local food possible? Check out The Veg Box People who deliver locally produced veg to pick up points across Manchester or this handy list of farmers and local producer markets. Oh, and it doesn't get more seasonal and local than growing your own – you'll find lots of simple tips for getting growing here. 

5. Sharing is caring 

Going on holiday or bought food that you won’t get around to eating? OLIO is an app that connects you with people in your local area to share extra food or grab a few extra ingredients for free. There are also Community Fridges popping up across Manchester to help communities share good food that would otherwise go to waste. Find your nearest one here. 

Ready to do more?

Want to try a new recipe? The Hubbub website is full of recipes that are child-friendly, help use up your leftovers and are great for batch cooking.  

• Looking for zero-waste independent food shops in Greater Manchester, check out this map of where to find them.  

• The Cracking Good Food company offer cooking courses, focused on connecting communities and people to low carbon local food sources whilst reducing food waste.