PowerPoint Presentation - James McMullan

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NICHE Taste Your Waste Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food & Health 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! What is Food Waste and what is the big deal? 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. 20+ million slices of bread 55% of all our food waste in the UK comes from you are wasted everyday in the the consumer! UK – enough for 10 million breakfasts The average family of four can 6.5 million tonnes of save up to £60 each week by food is thrown away reducing their food waste! each year in the UK! 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. 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 Understand the ‘best before’ date – it’s buying – only buy what you can use before it more about quality than safety – products expires. After this date products are not safe can still be consumed after the best for consumption. 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 Door Shelves Ready to eat foods, e.g., Bottled liquids such as dairy and eggs, cooked milk and fresh juice, and meats, packaged foods, condiments such as jams, and leftovers. Once spreads, and sauces. opened, ensure packets are properly resealed. Humidity Drawers Fruits, vegetables, and salads should be stored in fridge drawers to Bottom Shelves maintain moisture Raw meat, fish, and content and freshness. poultry should always be well sealed and stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge. 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 Cooking Here are some easy recipes to help cut down on food waste! 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! Smoothies can be a great way to use up any leftover fruit that might be nearing its best before! Just add your favourite fruit to a blender with some milk. Blend and enjoy! 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 Keep up to speed with nutrition some great resources!: research at Ulster! • Love Food Hate Waste: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com @NICHE_ULSTER- Follow us on • Your local council website Twitter and Instagram • Institute of Food Science Technology (IFST): https://www.ifst.org/resources/information- @UlsterUniversityNICHE- Like statements/food-waste our Facebook Page #niche #HISU • Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations: www.ulster.ac.uk/niche- Visit our http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/flw-data website! #UlsterFND