Save money and reduce food waste this christmas

“Resist the urge to overspend and learn to navigate the Shopping Battleground this Christmas” - that’s the advice of Stop Food Waste, the EPA’s national programme to reduce food waste in Ireland.

Some top tips to assist in better buying and food preparation this Christmas, according to Stop Food Waste.

1. Make a shopping list checking what items you already have in stock before leaving the house.

2. Think back about last year and try to identify what items remained unused at the end of the season. Was it because it was an unpopular food item in the household or a product that was bought in too large a quantity?

3. Go against tradition. If there is something on the Christmas menu that nobody really likes or more probable, that no one has room for, why not leave it out this year?

4. Pay particular attention when planning parties or dinners for guests. Try to limit the amount of quickly perishable foods served on the night to what you know will be used. Unlike other times of the year the leftovers from a party are a hard sell when a house is full of goodies.

5. Have some non-perishable snacks in stock which can remain unopened until the perishable items are used.

6. Don’t overstock on basics such as bread and milk. Supermarkets and local shops re-open very quickly after Christmas so there is usually less need to have extra supplies.

“Preventing food waste continues in to your home to where and how you store and cook what you have bought and on to what you do with your left overs. At each of these stages food waste can be avoided,” said Odile Le Bolloch, from the EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme.
“Another top tip to avoid food waste is to consider left over recipes to use up what’s left after Christmas dinner with some inventive but simple post Christmas recipes,” he added,

Go to www.stopfoodwaste.ie for the 12 days of Christmas guide containing some quick and easy recipes to make the most of your Christmas menus.