Have Your Food & Eat It!

Saving money and reducing food waste is important to many Devon householders and Recycle Devon is sharing a free online recipe book to help keep more food on our plates and less in the bin.

A 2022 study found that nearly a third of Devon’s black bin waste is food waste, 79 per cent of which is avoidable. It also found that over a third (35 per cent) of all discarded food is still packaged.  

Recycle Devon’s Have Your Food & Eat it recipe book shares tips on making food go further to combat food waste and rising costs.

Nationally, the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that 4.5 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten is wasted every year from our homes. The average UK family could save £83 per month, around £1,000 per year, by reducing the amount of food thrown away.

There are a few small changes we can make to reduce the amount of food we throw away, and save money:

• Check what we need before we go shopping and write a list
• Plan meals for the week ahead
• Donate Buy One Get One free items to friends and family if we’re unlikely to eat them
• Make the most of our freezers – freezing food hits the pause button and helps food last longer
• Ensure the fridge is set at a temperature of below 5°C. Keeping the fridge temperature between 0-5°C can help keep food fresh for three days longer than usual.
• Understand the difference between use by and best before dates – use by refers to food safety whereas best before relates to quality
• Use up any leftovers to create new meals

A whopping 25 per cent of the food we cook ends up wasted because we prepare, cook or serve too much. A 2023 poll conducted by Love Food Hate Waste found that 80% of people feel guilty about throwing food away and 70% would be more likely to use their leftovers if they could turn them into something tasty. 

Whether you are a confident cook looking for inspiration, or just starting out and in need of some useful tips and tricks, Have Your Food & Eat It has something for everyone. As well as sharing recipes for meals, sauces and dressings, the book also provides tips on how to store leftovers, using up food commonly thrown away such as bread and potatoes, and meal prepping for the week ahead.

For more information about making your food go further visit the Recycle Devon website.