7 Easy and Practical Ways to Combat Food Waste

Would you like to make sure all the ingredients in your fridge get used up? And are you looking for a way to reduce food waste? Take a look at this blog! In the Netherlands, we waste an average of 33kg of food per person per year! By being more mindful of how we handle our food, we not only save money but also help the environment by reducing food waste. That’s another step in the right direction toward a more sustainable lifestyle! Here are a few simple tips to prevent food waste, plus products that make it even easier to keep your food fresh for longer!

In 2019, the intention to live more environmentally friendly grew from 7% to 12%. By 2020, as many as 72% of Dutch people expressed plans to reduce single-use plastic waste. Will reducing food waste become your new goal? These practical tips will make it easy for you.

7 Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste

1. Plan Your Meals

Reducing food waste starts with shopping. Often, we buy just a little too much or purchase something we already have at home. By buying only what you need for the week, you can minimize food waste as much as possible.

• Check your fridge to see what’s left and how you can use those items in meals over the next few days.

• Plan your meals for the week and create a weekly overview of what you need.

• It can also help to take a quick inventory of long-lasting staples like flour, sugar, or spices to ensure you don’t buy duplicates because you’re unsure if you already have them at home.

Do you find it hard to plan exactly what to eat in advance? Or does your week not always go as planned? You can also create a list of meals you like and shuffle them around during the week. As long as fresh products are used at the right time, you’re still combating food waste while having some flexibility to decide what you’re in the mood for. Food Huggers can help keep leftovers fresh! Halved tomatoes or avocados fit perfectly into these handy silicone savers. Or choose an eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap with beeswax wraps. This way, leftover vegetables stay fresh and don’t contribute to food waste.

Reduce food waste with our Food Huggers >

Reduce food waste with Beeswax Wraps >

2. Apps and Websites to Help Plan Your Meals

Need inspiration? There are plenty of websites and apps these days that help you come up with dishes using the ingredients you already have at home, reducing food waste! They can also suggest weekly menus with recipes you might not have thought of yourself. For example:

• Supercook (app and website): Stop food waste with Supercook! Choose the ingredients you have at home and select the type of dish you want to make, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Supercook then provides recipes in order of how many ingredients you already have, from all the way down to just a few you might need to buy.

• Tasty (app): Another app that helps you come up with dishes using the ingredients you already have. With handy step-by-step video instructions for most recipes, reducing food waste becomes as easy as possible.

• Apps and websites from Dutch supermarkets: Most supermarkets now offer online tools like “Weekly Menu” (Jumbo), which suggests dishes for an entire week, or options to input ingredients you already have to find specific recipes and shopping lists (Albert Heijn). This ensures that the products you’re looking for are available at your supermarket.

3. Choose Local and Seasonal Products

By choosing local and seasonal products, you extend the shelf life of fresh ingredients and reduce your ecological footprint. Seasonal products generally last longer, and you support local farmers and producers, which helps prevent food waste.

4. A “Use First” Shelf

Would you rather not plan a weekly menu but still want to keep track of which ingredients are nearing their expiration date? A “use first” shelf in your fridge or cupboard prevents food waste by keeping items that need to be used soon separate. This makes it easy to see at a glance which products should be consumed first. It can also inspire your weekly menu or even a quick snack or dessert. To keep products from spoiling quickly, make sure they are stored properly!

• With products like Wrappies, you can keep bread and baked goods fresher for longer and prevent them from drying out too quickly. With their colorful, breathable exterior and specially designed Fresh-Up membrane on the inside, the Wrappie extends the shelf life of your baked goods, prevents mold growth, and reduces drying out!
• Use containers and jars with lids to keep ingredients sealed. For example, this beautiful jar with a lid from Chic Mic.

By storing products well and using what needs to be consumed first, you prevent food waste and contribute to a more sustainable household.

Fight food waste with Wrappies >

Reduce food waste with Chic Mic >

5. Know the Difference Between “Use By” and “Best Before” Dates

Did you know it’s not always necessary to throw food away after the expiration date? Understand the difference between “Use By” and “Best Before” dates. “Use By” means the product may no longer be safe to eat after this date, while “Best Before” products are often still perfectly usable.

6. Make the Most of Leftovers!

To use leftovers later, store them in sealed containers and label them with the date. This ensures they don’t end up in the trash and helps reduce food waste. Struggling to stay consistent with eating your leftovers? Introduce a fixed leftovers day! Or take leftovers as lunch to work! Choose a stylish stainless steel lunch box to store your leftovers.

Reduce food waste with Pandoo’s Stainless Steel Lunch Box >

Not in the mood to eat the same thing every day? Many leftovers can be turned into new dishes. Leftover boiled potatoes can be roasted in the oven or pan-fried. Got some veggies too? They pair perfectly with your potatoes in a tasty traybake! Leftover sauces, such as pasta sauce, can easily be added to a soup. Wraps are also ideal for reducing food waste. Yesterday’s leftover salad gets a delicious upgrade in a wrap with some extra toppings.

7. Compost Food Scraps

Sometimes there’s still something left over. Use a compost heap or compostable bags to separate food scraps. Natura Packaging’s compostable bags are ideal for organic waste and can go straight onto the compost heap. By composting organic waste, you give food scraps a second life, help reduce food waste, and contribute to better soil quality.

Reduce food waste with Natura Packaging’s Compostable Waste Bags >

How Do You Reduce Food Waste?

Will you plan your menu this week? Introduce a “use first” shelf in your fridge? Or try that tasty traybake? Whatever options you choose, start with the basics of storing your ingredients well so they last as long as possible. Products like jars and bowls from Chic Mic for leftovers and Food Huggers for leftover vegetables are great for this. If you order them on a weekday before 4:00 PM, you can start using them to pack tomorrow’s leftovers right away!