Food waste figures spark county council plea

Following the release of figures from Tesco about the amount of food that is wasted Derbyshire County Council is encouraging residents to do what they can to reduce what they throw out.

The supermarket giant estimates consumers waste 35% of the bagged salad bought at their stores and 27% of apples. Grapes and bananas also feature at the top of the list of most common foods wasted.

Derbyshire County Council is urging families to save money by making use of food or leftovers already in cupboards, fridges and the fruit bowl.

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Councillor Joan Dixon, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport, said: “Wasting food costs the average household £480 a year, rising to £680 for a family with children, the equivalent of around £50 a month.

“Planning meals, taking note of use-by labels, storing food correctly and watching portion sizes could save you a significant amount on your shopping bill.

“There is also the issue of food going into landfill. A 2011 study of waste bins in Derbyshire identified that 30% of general bin waste was food.

“That’s 56,000 tonnes of food waste sent to landfill at a cost of £5.6m.”

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The county council is promoting the national campaign to Love Food Hate Waste that encourages householders to keep food fresher for longer so less food is wasted at home and money is saved.

We waste 17 billion ‘five a day’ portions every year in the UK but by storing fresh food correctly it will last longer.

Food packaging has been designed to help the contents last longer, so don’t take the packaging off until you’re ready to eat it.

To save money and food we should:

* Plan meals

* Only buy what we need

* Only cook what we need

* Store food properly

* Use up leftovers.

For recipes, storage tips and other great ideas for cutting down on food waste, go to the Love Food Hate Waste page of Derbyshire Council Council’s website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/lovefoodhatewaste

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To download the Love Food Hate Waste app for iPhone and Android which has great hints, tips and recipes visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com and type “waste app” into the search engine at the top of the page.