What a waste..

[LILIPOT]

The staggering amount of food thrown away when it is still safe to eat came back into the spotlight last month, when the government pledged to tackle confusion surrounding date labels in a bid to cut food waste both in stores and at home. But where does the fresh produce industry stand on the issue? And what is being done to improve the situation? Anna Sbuttoni reports.

The mounting problem of food waste has become a conundrum for the fresh produce industry in recent years, especially since large volumes of fruit and vegetables are thrown away even when they are still good enough to eat, week in, week out.

Research from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows that UK households throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year and in a sign that there is huge potential to turn this around, some 70 per cent could have been eaten.

[MarkOlliethe2nd]

I dont bother with reading dates on food and chucking them for this reason except for eggs and milk (just some thinkgs you cant mess with). And although I do not pay much attention to 'display by' and 'use by' dates I still chuck lots of food away and feel guilty.

I found for 'me' that its hard to come across recipies that can incorporate items that you have left over, without having to go out and buy either things you do not normally buy or, buy an item/product to add to a recipie and again end up with that item sitting in your fridge, cupboard or basket and just ends up being thrown.

Times have changed, I know my older relations and TV chefs of late mention old recipies passed down the family or well known by all such as making a soup from the carkass of a chicken or making a pudding with old/stale bread just things people of my generation (me being 26) have not got a clue about. In conversations with older folk I always get told "You know, during the war you couldnt just waste food" but without WW3 how else can the youth of today learn just how valuable cheap food is?

I do try not to waste food as it makes me feel guilty, just like when I wash my car with the hospipe, although I try use things until the end there will always be something destined for the bin.

[Blueberry]

Well done you for being interested in not wasting anything. As your posting was some little while back I wonder whether you are still looking for ideas to use these odds & ends up? I would be glad to supply some if so.

[lazydog]

the best way to stop this waste of food is make all supermakets illegal and get back to a local shop keeper either getting supplies from the farms or local markets i am only 52 and this was how it used to be
If you want ingredients to cook a meal now it is getting harder at the suppermarket to buy individual items you have to negotiate isles of ready meals or frozen stuff and if you dare buy somthing fresh it is going rotten before ya use it
food waste shut suppermarkets and ban factory farms get back to real local stuff or grow/produce your own or do with out!!