It's a crime we are all guilty of — throwing food into our shopping basket, only to find it weeks later, rotting at the bottom of the fridge. In the UK, we throw away over seven million tonnes of food and drink every year — and that's just from our homes.
Food waste happens at every stage of the production line, from food that is grown but deemed 'unsellable' by supermarkets, to food that ends up unsold, to the food that we ourselves buy but don't eat. This adds up to over 1/3 of the food we grow globally going to waste.
About a year ago, I watched Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, a fascinating and shocking documentary illustrating the truth about food waste. I was already aware of the issue, but after watching this film, I vowed to waste as little food as possible.
It has been easier than you'd think — it just takes a little planning and some imagination. I have become a master of creating last-minute meals out of whatever is in the fridge, combined with some store-cupboard essentials. Check out this article for some advice on how to reduce the amount of food you waste — and save yourself money at the same time!
As well as reducing the amount of food we waste ourselves, we can support small businesses striving to do the same. These three inspiring brands have founded their businesses upon the principle of saving food from going to waste.
Snact
In 2013, best friends Ilana and Michael took their passion for sustainability and made it into a business. They take the excess fruit too big, small, or ugly to sell from fruit and veg markets, and use it to make healthy and delicious fruit jerky snacks.
Rubies In The Rubble
Also horrified by the amount of waste at fruit and veg markets, Rubies In The Rubble founder Jenny, along with the rest of her team, turns surplus produce into award winning chutneys, relish, and other condiments.
Silo
The UK's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, in Brighton, was opened in 2014 by chef Douglas McMaster. At Silo, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is waste free — from the food, to the furniture, to the crates that deliver products to the store.
Any uneaten food that consumers leave on their plate is turned into compost in twenty four hours in the restaurant's own aerobic digester. Their acclaimed menu proves that an entirely sustainable and ethical food business is possible.
By supporting businesses that use sustainable ingredients and saving perfectly edible food from going in the bin, you can do your part to help fight the war on waste.