What is Food Waste and what is the big deal? Taste Your Waste We are a group of students from Ulster University and our aim is to help you learn how you can make small changes to help reduce the amount of food you throw away each day! Food waste is all of the food that is thrown away that is still fit for human consumption. In the UK almost 6.5 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year but we can still eat 4.5 million tonnes of this! When food that goes to landfill rots, it emits methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas which causes global warming, and this isn’t great for our planet! As Individuals we all have a responsibility to try and reduce the amount of food we are throwing away on a daily basis. We know that it can be difficult! Sometimes those leftovers don’t look as appetising and busy lifestyles can mean it’s easy to lose track of when food may be nearing its use by date. We hope to shed some light on how you can reduce food waste through simple steps when shopping, storing and cooking food to help create a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. NICHE Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food & Health The average family of four can save up to £60 each week by reducing their food waste! 55% of all our food waste in the UK comes from you the consumer! 20+ million slices of bread are wasted everyday in the UK – enough for 10 million breakfasts 6.5 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year in the UK! Shopping Here are some tips that you can put in place when shopping to help cut down on food waste! • Before you head to the shops, or start an online grocery order, check what’s in your cupboards, fridge and freezer . Make a list of what you need or take a picture of your shelf at home to prevent duplicates and overspending. • Plan your meals – think about what you’re going to cook and how you’re going to use the leftovers • Don’t shop while hungry – you are more likely to impulse buy and spend more when you go shopping on an empty stomach – this leads to too much food which results in food wastage • Loose fruit and vegetables are better than packs – if a recipe calls for 1 onion, don’t buy an entire pack! Check use-by dates on fresh food when buying – only buy what you can use before it expires. After this date products are not safe for consumption. Understand the ‘best before’ date – it’s more about quality than safety – products can still be consumed after the best before date. Storage Below are some tips to help you make the most of your fridge and learn how to love your freezer! Top and Middle Shelves Ready to eat foods, e.g., dairy and eggs, cooked meats, packaged foods, and leftovers. Once opened, ensure packets are properly resealed. Bottom Shelves Raw meat, fish, and poultry should always be well sealed and stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Door Shelves Bottled liquids such as milk and fresh juice, and condiments such as jams, spreads, and sauces. Love your Freezer Package and freeze leftovers to use for another meal – defrost and use within 24hrs Label and date frozen items, and rotate older items to the front of the freezer – they need to be used first All foods are safe to freeze right up to their use-by dates Did you know you can freeze the following foods: • Fruit and veg (raw + cooked), • Potatoes • Bread • Milk, cheese and yoghurt • Eggs • Cooked rice and pasta • Baked goods • Herbs and spices Humidity Drawers Fruits, vegetables, and salads should be stored in fridge drawers to maintain moisture content and freshness. Cooking Everything but the kitchen sink pizza! You will need: • Stale Tortilla wrap • Tomato Sauce • Your favourite toppings. 1. Preheat the grill while you prepare your pizza. 2. Spread the tomato sauce over your tortilla base (if you don’t have a tortilla wrap don’t worry! You can use pitta breads too) 3. Add your favourite toppings. This is a great way to use up some vegetables which you may have left over. 4. Pop under the grill for a few minutes until the base is golden brown! Quick and easy smoothie! Just add your favourite fruit to a blender with some milk. Blend and enjoy! Smoothies can be a great way to use up any leftover fruit that might be nearing its best before! If you have any fruit left over, pop it in the freezer!... frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies! If you would like some more information on food waste, here are some great resources!: • Love Food Hate Waste: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com • Your local council website • Institute of Food Science Technology (IFST): https://www.ifst.org/resources/information- statements/food-waste • Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/flw-data Keep up to speed with nutrition research at Ulster! @NICHE_ULSTER- Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @UlsterUniversityNICHE- Like our Facebook Page www.ulster.ac.uk/niche- Visit our website! # niche #HISU #UlsterFND Here are some easy recipes to help cut down on food waste!