Cutting Down on Food Waste at Home

A significant amount of food produced globally is wasted. Reducing food waste saves money, conserves resources (water, energy, land used to grow food), and lowers greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing food in landfills.

Practical Tips:

• Plan Meals & Shop Smart: Make a list, buy only what you need, check use-by dates.
• Store Food Properly: Use airtight containers, understand optimal storage conditions (fridge, pantry), freeze leftovers or excess produce.
• Use It Up: Get creative with leftovers, use vegetable scraps for stock, understand "best before" vs "use by" dates ("best before" is often about quality, not safety).
• Compost Scraps: Compost unavoidable food scraps like peelings (see Composting Basics).