Don't Throw Food Away Challenge

dragonette

I'm sure I heard on the radio recently about Mr T starting a scheme to donate food on its BB or use by dates to soup kitchens or food banks. Sadly I can't remember exactly what it was.

I can understand how they end with surplus stock, I just hope more of it can go to those who need it!

jackel

Hi Daisiegg - Not red pitta bread - red.(uced) Or was it a joke ? Sorry if it was. jac x.

EstherH

Talking of bags of salad going to waste, I have one in the fridge that I bought on Friday ys. Forgot to use it. Still looks ok ish. Could I put it in soup? What else would you put with it. TIA. Esther x

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

Oooooooh, this makes me mad too - my sister used to throw loads of food out, (her DH won't eat anything that's past its sell-by date) until I persuaded her to give it all to me - we've been eating "out of date" food for years and it's never done us any harm - I seem to remember listening to Martin on a radio show a few years ago telling people to use their eyes and sense of smell to work out whether something is still OK to eat, advice which more people should take note of! Our food waste is minimal (we are 2 adults and two children aged 9 and 13), almost everything, no matter how small, is used up. I guess some people would fnid some of our meals a bit odd, however we are all fed and healthy and I haven't increased our monthly food budget for 7 years, so we must be doing something right!

maman

EstherH wrote: »

Talking of bags of salad going to waste, I have one in the fridge that I bought on Friday ys. Forgot to use it. Still looks ok ish. Could I put it in soup? What else would you put with it. TIA. Esther x

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/braised-peas-with-spring-onions-and-lettuce

I noticed that Jamie Oliver braised some lettuce in this dish so it's worth a try. maybe pop it in last minute.

I tend not to buy salad leaves any more as they're the easiest thing to waste IYKWIM. I buy tomatoes, peppers and spring onions (as I can easily use those up) and if I really want leaves I'll go for baby spinach and then add it to soups/sauces if it's not used.

I can't believe how much some people must waste as I know I waste virtually nothing, so on average someone must be wasting loads! I think it's about people who just wander around the SM chucking stuff into the trolley with no thought of how they'll use it.

DH and I eat less than a loaf of bread a week between us. I buy a fresh loaf most weeks and freeze any leftovers. Every few weeks we have a 'toast' week, instead of having fresh bread. We don't often have sandwiches so the freezer bread is fine. Crusts we tend to eat as JackieO said or make into breadcrumbs. I've always got a bag of breadcrumbs in the freezer.

maman

WartimeScrapingofMarmite wrote: »

Oooooooh, this makes me mad too - my sister used to throw loads of food out, (her DH won't eat anything that's past its sell-by date) until I persuaded her to give it all to me - we've been eating "out of date" food for years and it's never done us any harm - I seem to remember listening to Martin on a radio show a few years ago telling people to use their eyes and sense of smell to work out whether something is still OK to eat, advice which more people should take note of! Our food waste is minimal (we are 2 adults and two children aged 9 and 13), almost everything, no matter how small, is used up. I guess some people would fnid some of our meals a bit odd, however we are all fed and healthy and I haven't increased our monthly food budget for 7 years, so we must be doing something right!

Or your sister hasn't learned a thing!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

maman wrote: »

Or your sister hasn't learned a thing!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Quite! :rotfl:

jackieblack

Another who abhors food waste here!
DH & DD joke that our family motto is "It says 'Best Before', not 'Poisonous After' "

GreyQueen

jackieblack wrote: »

Another who abhors food waste here!
DH & DD joke that our family motto is "It says 'Best Before', not 'Poisonous After' "

I like this so much I shall steal it.:D

I was reading about that shocking amount of food waste with horror and a real sense of shame. Whatever have we come to as a society that wastefulness on this level has come to pass? Mortifying.

Just snouted into my food waste caddy and there is nothing in there bar teabags, eggshells and the top off a HG carrot (scrubbed the skin not peeled it). At other times I have committed food waste through a mixture of overshopping and last minute changes of plan which have seen unpredictable eating patterns. But I knew it was wrong and make stringent efforts not to repeat the problem.

Heck, I live very well on about £50 food budget most months as a singleton and that includes a goodly stock cupboard.

One thing that puzzles me is this concept of stale cake......never have any around for long enough to get stale.:rotfl:

daisiegg

jackel wrote: »

Hi Daisiegg - Not red pitta bread - red.(uced) Or was it a joke ? Sorry if it was. jac x.

I wasn't joking! Had never heard that abbreviation before. I was intrigued by the idea of red pitta bread and now I am sad it does not exist!