Currently, the average UK family spends £470 per year on food that ends up wasted in the bin. This amount is on the way up as by the end of 2022, food basket prices are predicted to increase in average between 10.5% and 11.5%. The main caused being food producers passing on increases in the cost of fertiliser, wheat, and vegetable oils, which are mainly produced in Ukraine and Russia.
It’s expected that some essential foods will go way over that average, including flour and other cereals (29.7%); pasta (24.4%); and margarine (22.5%).
Recipe for disaster
The reasons behind our wasteful food habits are varied, and consumption patterns are one of them. Food has become a comfort item and, as it’s often the case, we buy more than we need and are able to eat, simply because it makes us feel good.
Equally, busy schedules mean that many people do their shopping at the last minute; at the most convenient place (often also the most expensive); and when they are hungry. All of these are typical ingredients of a recipe for disaster. Next time you feel that you are too busy to cook you can use one of the available apps -like Too Good to Go or Karma- to find restaurants and coffee places around you offering cheaper meals.
The surge of online grocery shopping might have also played a negative role in this trend, with consumers sitting in front of the computer and buying the same items week after week without further considerations. The fact that supermarkets don’t tend to offer the same discounts online than at the store also means that, overall, online shopping ends up being more expensive.
Changing consumption patterns
Consumption patterns need to be addressed urgently if we want to reduce our food waste and our bill. These are some good tips on how to do it.
✅ Remember: convenience food is expensive. Cooking your own food will be healthier and cheaper. For simple and delicious recipes, follow us on Instagram.
✅Plan your weekly meals in advance and make an ingredients list before you buy so you avoid overbuying. Apps like No Waste allows you to make an inventory of what you already have in your fridge to make sure you don't buy what you don't need.
✅ Accept that grocery shopping takes time and normalise that you might have to buy from more than one place to get the best price.
✅Don’t go shopping when you are hungry. Keeping the same day and time to shop every week will help you prepare for it and make sure that you eat beforehand.
✅Growing your own food is another great way to reduce your food bill. If you grow indoors, it would also allow you to choose what you eat all year round.
Don’t be naive
The food system is designed to generate short-term profit, and not to make you save money nor to protect the environment. Learning some of the hacks to become a savvy shopper is worthwhile doing.
⚠️ Supermarkets often place the most expensive items at eye level, and near the entrance. Make sure you look up and down the shelves and visit the different aisles to compare prices.
⚠️Buying supermarkets’ own brands will cut about 30% from your supermarket cost.
⚠️ Big supermarkets reduce the price of fresh items throughout the day, reaching up to 75% off roughly after 7pm depending on the supermarket. These discounts will be priced on the items using yellow stickers. Check out your regular supermarket for the best time to grab the best offers.
⚠️Bigger amounts don’t always equal cheaper prices per 100grams. This information should be displayed next to the prices. Make sure you you check it out before you buy.
Get the basics right
There is so much we can easily do to make sure that we prolong the lifespan of our food and avoid unnecessary waste. The table below shows some examples.
Start from today
The food wastage footprint on climate in high-income countries is more than double of that of low-income countries. Despite improvement in recent years, the UK produces the highest amount of food waste (business and households combined) in Europe. Around 9.5 million tonnes of food are thrown away in a single year. This amount would have a value of over £19 billion a year and would be associated with more than 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
In this blog we have mentioned some of the actions that you can take to avoid food going to waste. What are you doing today to reduce your food wastage footprint? We’d love to find out. Tag us on IG and FB @ourladyofgreens
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