How to Save $500 on Food Each Year
Want to know secret to keeping your food fresh for longer and reducing food waste?
Are you fed up with food waste? In the UK our household food waste bill adds up to a whopping 7.2 million tonnes per year.
At least two thirds of this is avoidable. Confusion over sell-by, use-by, and best-before dates leads to throwing away food that could still be eaten.
Short of shopping for fresh food everyday (who has the time for that?), what can we do to keep food fresh for longer and start cutting food waste?
Proper Storage Will Keep Food Fresh for Longer
The secret to keeping foods fresh is to store them in the proper place or in the correct storage conditions. This will keep food at its best and give it a longer life.
ON THE WORKTOP
If you plan to eat your fruits and veggies within the next couple of days they can sit on the worktop.
Many fruits and vegetables emit ethylene, a natural gas that accelerates ripening. To prevent fresh produce from ripening too quickly, let air circulate around the food rather than keeping it in plastic bags or boxes.
Plastic-Free Food Storage Solutions
If you’re striving to reduce your food waste, you might also be trying to reduce your reliance on plastic – particularly the single use variety.
There’s now lots of products available to help you swap Tupperware and cling film for non-plastic versions. This is a quick way to reduce your exposure to plastic chemicals and keep food fresh.
Glass storage boxes are available from homeware stores and IKEA. If you buy glass jars of jam, marmalade, mustard or other condiments you can upcycle these into handy storage pots for fridge or freezer.
