7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

Tackling food waste is an important step as we fight for a more sustainable future. Food waste contributes to world hunger, increased packaging, and pollution. But it doesn't have to be the case! We can make a real difference by focusing on eating mindfully, learning how to store food properly, making more meals at home and saving leftovers.

Leftovers to Landfill

Despite being a developed nation, the UK unnecessarily wastes 9.5 million tons of food every year. As food poverty continues to rise in the UK, it is abundantly clear that serious action needs to be taken to avoid edible food going to landfill.

Not only is it hard to believe that we have both food waste and food poverty in the UK, but so too is the sheer volume of resources that are wasted when edible food goes in the bin. Globally, 8% of greenhouse gases are related to the production of food that we don’t eat and wasteful living. The Climate Crisis is an ever more looming threat to the global community, the resolution of which can partly be found in minimising food that is wasted. 

Rethinking Our Relationship with Food

Some positive actions have been taken, like many supermarkets removing use-by dates from fresh produce, but more can be done by both consumers and producers to prevent the waste of resources. The huge amount of surplus food is largely the result of overproduction which is partly driven by the buying habits of shoppers. When we buy more than we need, producers respond by creating more of the same product, leading to waste. And so the cycle continues.  

Fighting Food Waste at TYME

At TYME we employ a “just in time” supply chain model which means that we only order fresh food at the last minute to reduce our food waste. Fresh food is ordered once the final number of orders for the week is finalised so that we can order the exact amount of food needed to fulfil the orders. By also utilising a custom production planner to make the exact quantity of each recipe needed, TYME reduces its overall food waste. Where there is food waste, we work with food banks and soup kitchens to consume any excess food made or leftover. 

Thanks to the tireless work of charities like City Harvest, The Felix Project and StreetsKitchen, who we work with at TYME, surplus food that would otherwise just be binned can be redirected to those who need it. In redistributing food to where it is needed, we can make incremental steps to reducing food waste at the final step. Check out our Instagram for a video about our recent partnership with The People’s Army and Street Kitchen, repurposing our food and reducing waste. 

What Can I Do to Help Reduce Food Waste? 

1. Eat all shapes and sizes - think ugly fruit, odd-looking potatoes. 
2. Love your freezer - Frozen fruit and vegetables can be a fantastic way to boost your intake whilst being both cost-effective and long-lasting. Frozen options are just as (if not more) nutritious and even more convenient than their fresh counterparts, so fill your freezer for fruit and veg on demand! 
3. Donate to a food bank - you can find your nearest one here
4. Buy food with meals in mind - planning your meals can help you get the most out of your ingredients.
5. Think about how to use leftovers creatively - the exact reason why the nation’s favourite Bubble and Squeak was invented!
6. Compost - outdoor and indoor (yes indoor composting is a thing) composting is a great way to turn your veg scraps into soil for your
   plants or even someone else's. Whilst also cutting down on household waste - which will ultimately travel miles to end up in landfill.
7. Save your root peels - if you peel your root veg, save the skins to toss in some light oil, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. You’re welcome!