Reducing food waste

Start with where it is wasted

Household food waste comes from three main places: food bought and forgotten until it spoils, food cooked in excess and left over, and peel and offcuts discarded during preparation. Different causes need different fixes. If spoilage is your main problem, change how much you buy and how you store it; if leftovers are, change how much you cook; if trimmings are, change how you use ingredients. Note down what you throw away for about a week, sorted by cause, and you will quickly see which type of household you are. Saving money on groceries is covered in the food budget guide under the food topic, and storing leftovers safely in the storage guide in the same topic.

Buy at the pace you eat

Most spoiled food starts with buying more than you need. Before shopping, open the fridge and cupboards to see what is already there, and plan meals that use those ingredients first, which reduces duplicate buying. Multibuy deals and bulk packs pay off only if you can finish them. For quickly perishable items like leafy greens and soft fruit, buying small amounts often wastes less than buying a lot at once. If a busy week means more meals out, shop less in advance.

Organise the fridge so you can see

The back of the fridge is where food gets forgotten. Simply putting new purchases at the back and older ones at the front noticeably reduces spoilage. Clear containers with the date written on the lid show at a glance what to eat first. Overfilling the fridge also stops cold air circulating and makes storage worse.

• Older items at the front, at eye level
• One shelf just for things to eat soon
• Clear containers with dates
• Leave some space in the fridge
• Freeze ingredients in single-use portions

Read date labels correctly

A lot of edible food is thrown away purely because of the label. In 2023, Korea replaced sell-by dates on food with use-by dates, with separate timelines set for some items such as milk. A sell-by date tells shops how long they may sell a product; a use-by date tells you how long it is safe to eat if stored as directed. The storage condition is the key. If something marked for refrigeration has been left at room temperature, it cannot be assumed safe even before the date. Conversely, food past its use-by date should not be eaten even if it looks fine. Many foods must also be eaten soon after opening regardless of the printed date, so read the packaging instructions too.

Decide how much to cook

If leftovers are regularly thrown out, the amount you cook does not match the number of people eating. For staples like rice and noodles, measure one person's portion once and you will not have to guess every time. When a recipe's quantities do not suit your household, scale the ingredients proportionally; a cooking unit converter helps if measurements are confusing. For side dishes, making small amounts, finishing them and making more wastes less than making a lot of several at once. If there are leftovers anyway, cool and portion them promptly and build them into the next meal plan.

Take another look at offcuts and peel

Quite a lot of what gets trimmed off is edible. Broccoli stalks, radish tops, the green part of spring onions and the tender parts of mushroom stems can go into stir-fries or soups. You can also collect vegetable offcuts in the freezer and use them for stock. However, always cut away parts that should not be eaten, such as sprouts and green patches on potatoes, and throw away spoiled or mouldy ingredients whole rather than trimming off the visible bit.

Drain before disposal

Whatever food waste remains is best put out with as much water drained off as possible. Wet waste is heavier and bulkier and attracts smells and insects. Collect it in a strainer to drain, and pour liquid away separately from solids. What counts as food waste can vary by area, so check your local authority's guidance. Confusing items such as animal bones, shells and eggshells are covered in the recycling guide under the life tips topic. Home composting is an option, but it requires managing smells and insects, so if you live in shared housing, check with neighbours and building rules first.

Common mistakes and safety

Do not let the urge to cut waste lead you to eat spoiled food. Smell and appearance are not always enough to judge safety, and your health comes before thrift. If you develop persistent stomach pain, diarrhoea or vomiting after eating, seek medical care.

• Judging food safe by smell alone
• Cutting off the mouldy part and eating the rest
• Buying bulk because it is cheap, then throwing it out
• Leaving leftovers at room temperature for long