Today WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) launched an intiative called Love Food Hate Waste. I was initially shocked to read their claim that one third of food in this country gets thrown away. However on reflection, that is probably realistic. I have often heard colleagues or friends lament what they throw away. Also what used to be called "good housekeeping" involved avoiding throwing away excess food and using it in innovative ways.

Looking back my grandparents wasted very little. The cooked in a seasonal way, they would cook a roast once and use it to produce a hot meal on Sunday then a cold meal on Monday. At that time ways of dealing with leftovers like "bubble and squeak" or "stovies" were just part of normal cooking. Such skills are largely forgotten in my generation and the next one. Similarly a lot of people throw out tired vegetables when they might be used creatively. For example the Balkan ajvar side dish can be made with aubergines or red peppers that are 'tired' and taste almost as good as made with fresh ones.

The LFHW website focuses on some sensible things. They draw attention to the financial and environmental consequences of food waste as well as offering practical advice. The scale of the issue is staggering

6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households in the UK every year,  or, to put it another way, around a third of all the food we buy end up being thrown away, and most of it could have been eaten.

 
In our household where we usually fall down is in fruit and vegetables. We plan our purchases of meat and fish more carefully but tend to "stock up" on fresh fruit and vegetables with less planning. We are apparently not alone.

Current research suggests that about 40% (by weight) of the food thrown away that could have been eaten is fresh fruit & vegetables (which includes potatoes). 

 

They explain what food labels e.g. 'best by' and 'use by' really mean. They provide practical suggestions around planning, using leftovers and some recipes themed as 'cook once, use twice', 'time saver' or 'rescue recipe'.

At first sight this is a very welcome initiative. While as a family we do not like to waste, I have noticed that we do much better when we have guests and come up with say a 4-day menu plan than when we plan meals spontaneously.