We waste too much food!
- Prevent food waste crimes happening in your home by investigating which foods might be in danger of being wasted and how they can be saved.
- 1:Download the Food Detective Case Notes - it has a table for you to complete.
- 2:Investigate your kitchen. Write down foods which are in danger of being wasted in column 1.
- 3:If you can think of any recipes to use the food, add them in column 2.
- 4:If you can think of ways to stop this food from being wasted in the future, add in column 3.
- 5:Then display it in your kitchen for everyone to see!
Children record which foods in their home may be in danger of being wasted in the Food Detective Case Notes. The Case Notes can be downloaded and printed, or they can make their own version using scrap paper.
Display the completed Food Detective Case Notes somewhere where the whole family can be reminded to use the food before it becomes waste.
Don’t forget! Upload the completed Food Detective Case Notes or a photo of them to enter the Badge Mission Competition prize draw and earn the Food Detective badge!
Children can find great top tips for saving food and some yummy recipes from the Amazing Waste Cookbook.
Top Tips for Wastebusters to Save Food!
- – Help plan the family meals together and make a shopping list.
- – Read the labels to find out how food should be stored to stay fresher for longer.
- – “Best before” dates are different from “use by” dates. You have to eat things by the “use by” date, but “best before” dates mean the food will be at its best quality before or on that date.
- – Don’t put more food on your plate or in your bowl than you can eat.
- – Save, store and eat your leftovers.
- – More things can be frozen than you think, like cheese, bread and even butter.
- – Food isn’t meant to be frozen forever; it will dry out, so keep note of when you freeze items.
- – A tidy fridge means it’s easier to see what needs to be eaten and when.
- – If your family checks what is in the fridge and cupboards before shopping, they won’t accidentally buy something twice. People often forget to do this!
- – Keep track of what you throw out to work out what you are wasting and why. Perhaps you are buying more than you need, or it needs to be stored differently.
- – Pickling, making jam or drying fruit and vegetables will mean you can store them for much longer.
- – You can make yummy recipes with leftover food or food that needs to be used up!
- – You can find out more great tips and recipes for cutting food waste from the West Sussex Waste Partnership and at Love Food Hate Waste.