How to stop wasting food

In a recent chat on our Green Living message board, Julia Falcon from Love Food Hate Waste answered iVillagers questions and suggested ways we can all reduce the amount of food we throw away

Almost all of us waste food. We get seduced by supermarket promotions to buy-one-get-one-free, make too large portions, or simply buy more than we can use before it goes off.

Kitchen economy is particularly relevant at the moment as we struggle to make ends meet in the current climate.

According to Julia, the top five food groups we throw away are:

Fresh fruit and vegetables Home and ready meals Meat and fish Bakery eg bread Dairy eg milk and cheese

At Love Food Hate Waste, they recommend these practical tips to help you save money and stop wasting food.

Store bread in the freezer - it will last longer and individual slices can be toasted from frozen at breakfast time. Use a mixture of fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables. This means you won't be constantly trying to use up perishable food before it goes off. Take advantage of supermarket discount deals, but split multi-buys or value deals into meal-sized portions before you freeze them. That way you'll only defrost what you need to make a meal. Write a shopping list and stick to it! While half of us write a shopping list before we shop, only a quarter of us actually stick to it! Check your fridge and cupboards before you plan your shop so that you know which items you need to buy. Keep fruit in the fridge. Apples, oranges and lemons all keep for longer if stored in the fridge, so just stock the fruit bowl with enough for a day. Remember, however, that bananas last longer out of the fridge. Store onions and potatoes in a cool, dry place, but other veg keeps better in the fridge. Keep a list of what's inside attached to your freezer. That way you'll know what you've got and won't be tempted to double up at the supermarket. Remember to cross items off the list as you use them. Hard cheese, such as Cheddar, can be frozen, either grated or as a block. You can add the frozen cheese to sauces, omelettes or pizzas while cooking. Understand food labels. The most important one is the Use by date. Food can be eaten or frozen right up until the end of this date. Plan your meals around this. Best before dates are usually found on items with long shelf lives such as frozen, tinned or dried foods. While they are usually safe to eat after this date, they may no longer be at their best. Use your judgement to determine whether or not to eat them. The exception is eggs. Never eat eggs after their Best before date. You can ignore Display until or Sell by dates. These are for shop staff and not shoppers.