Michelle Darmody: 10 top tips to tackle food waste with a few small steps
Salads, fruit, vegetables, particularly potatoes, as well as bread and milk are some of the most wasted items in Ireland
Food waste happens at many points: in production, at the distribution stage, in the shop or supermarket, and in the home. Legislation is needed to help prevent the first few instances but we, as householders, can make a difference within our homes. Research shows that the average house wastes a third of the food they buy. This is a huge financial cost as well as an environmental one, so being a little smarter with what we buy and how we use it can save us a lot of money and cut down on landfill.
Household food waste also shot up during the pandemic as people rushed to buy items that they did not use, and we are all eating at home much more often which, in turn, can create more waste. Salads, fruit, vegetables, particularly potatoes, as well as bread and milk are some of the most wasted items in Ireland according to Stop Food Waste. In France, the government is helping solve the food waste problem in supermarkets, and it’s become the first country to ban large retailers from throwing away edible food — instead, they must donate it to charities.
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