WRAP - Love Food Hate Waste Campaign

If you only have time on this visit to read the first sentence, this is the thought we want you to take away: Good food is something to love and relish, and we can do more to cut how much we waste.

How much do we waste in the UK? The figures might surprise you! Research done by WRAP (the Waste Resources Action Programme) shows that around a third of all the food we buy in the UK ends up being thrown away. Whilst some of this waste isn’t edible (e.g. meat bones) there’s plenty of good food that could have been eaten – if only we had used it before it went off. How much money is wasted? Again, the research shows that the average household spends £400 on food per year that wasn’t eaten.

That’s the size of the problem on your purse. What about the environment? Does wasted food impact badly on the environment? The answer is a definite ‘YES’!

In the UK we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year. Much of this ends up in landfill sites. This contributes to climate change in two ways. Firstly, the rotting process of organics releases methane and CO2 into the air. These are understood to be big causes of climate change across the globe. In the UK, landfill sites create around 3% of all the emissions of these gases. Secondly, producing, transporting and storing food uses a lot of energy, water and packaging. Each part of the process creates harmful climate change gases, for example, lorries transporting goods from farms to supermarkets. It’s bad enough that we create these harmful impacts to be able to get food on our tables. How much worse is it if we then waste the food itself? Well, we’d all say it isn’t the best way to do things. So, is there anything practical that we can do at home to enjoy the food we buy whilst doing our bit to cut how much we waste? Thankfully, there is.

All 14 Kent councils have joined forces with WRAP on a great new campaign called“Love Food Hate Waste”. You’ll see coverage in newspapers and magazines. In Kent, we’re the only county in the country where you’ll also see it on billboards, buses, bus stops and in schools. Want to know what the campaign looks like? Easy – just visit the Love Food Hate Waste campaign website to see how a pear and a tomato are the stars of the campaign.

Why are the Kent councils supporting the campaign? It’s because we want to do more to protect the fragile environment that we all love and cherish. Climate change is one of the biggest issues of the age. Anything that makes climate change worse needs to be tackled.

The councils are Kent County Council, Medway Council and the district/borough councils of: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Shepway, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Our statement of support is that: ‘All the councils in Kent and Medway are proud to be among the first to support the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. Kent is known worldwide as the “Garden of England”. Our high-quality fruit and vegetables are enjoyed and savoured across the county. It is always sad when such tasty and wonderful food goes to waste. Cutting food waste also helps to protect the environment. We wholeheartedly encourage everyone to “Love Food Hate Waste”.

Love Food Hate Waste – Top Tips
One of the aims of the “Love Food Hate Waste” campaign is to provide everyone with helpful and practical hints and tips on how to enjoy the food we buy, and cut down on the amount of good food thrown away. Here are some ideas we thought we’d share:

Stop before you shop
Check what is in your cupboard or freezer, not forgetting the back of the fridge, before you shop for more.
Make a list and shop with meals in mind. This will mean that you do not buy food unnecessarily and save you time and money.
Be careful of special offers and multi-buys, especially on fresh goods – make sure you will use them.

Use it or lose it
Keep an eye on perishables you have and plan to eat meals within their “use by” date. View our advice about food date stamps.

Love your leftovers
Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and timesaving– whether it's diner from the night before or food left in the fridge or cupboard. Do your own ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and see what meals you can make. Try using an online recipe database to give you some inspiration. When cooking for a family - take a few minutes to measure food out - perhaps into a favourite cup - so you get the right portion per person.

No more soggy surprises
Keeping your fridge between 1-5°C helps you get the best of your food. Leaving food such as milk, cooked meat and salad can cut shelf life by 100%. Make good use of the fridge and freezer to keep food better - for example, most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge so it lasts longer.

Consider your options
Chilled and fresh food has become more popular over recent years – however, sometimes it may be worth purchasing frozen or ambient food to increase shelf life at home. This is particularly useful if your meal times are more spontaneous due to work or family schedules. Also, remember that often fresh and chilled produce can be frozen at home if it is not going to be used in time.

Storage Solutions
You can also influence the shelf life of your cupboard storage. Store root vegetables in a dark place away from other fruit and vegetables. Store cereals, flour, rice, pasta and other dry goods in airtight containers. Close packets and bags with airtight bag clips. There are many ingenious products available to protect the quality of your food.

 Start composting at home
And the answer for the peelings and cores - home composting is a great way to prevent unavoidable food waste such as peelings, cores and teabags ending up in landfill and can do wonders for the garden

Log on to http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/for more advice and tips.

Food Date Stamps Explained According to the Food Standards Agency;
A Use by date is an instruction applied to foods that go off quickly, such as fresh meat and fish, where serious forms of food poisoning are a real risk if food is consumed after this date. Don't use any food or drink after the end of the 'use by' date on the label, even if it looks and smells fine.

For the 'use by' date to be a valid guide, you must follow carefully storage instructions such as 'keep in a refrigerator'. If you don't follow these instructions, the food will spoil more quickly and you may risk food poisoning.

'Use by' does not always mean 'eat by'. If a food can be frozen its life can be extended beyond the 'use by' date.

But make sure you follow any instructions on the pack - such as 'freeze on day of purchase', 'cook from frozen' or 'defrost thoroughly before use and use within 24 hours'.

Once a food with a 'use by' date on it has been opened, you also need to follow any instructions such as 'eat within a week of opening'.

Whereas, a Best Before date is advisory and tends to be applied to low-risk foods and those with a longer shelf life such as frozen, dried and tinned foods. The 'best before' dates are more about quality than safety, so when the date runs out it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture. While food quality is likely to decline after the ‘best before’ date has passed, health issues are not likely to be a problem.

And remember, the 'best before' date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as 'store in a cool dry place' or 'keep in the fridge once opened'.

Sell by and Display Until date marks often appear near or next to the 'best before' or 'use by' date. They are used by some shops to help with stock control and are instructions for shop staff, not shoppers.

On-line Database Links
Not very handy in the kitchen, need help planning meals - check out these online recipe finders to help you use your leftovers.

http://www.recipesdatabase.com/