Making Cents: Why we need to eliminate waste from food budgets

Gráinne McGuinness offers the latest consumer advice, this week looking at how to eliminate waste and save money in your food shop. 

How much uneaten food do you throw away each week? Checking packets and realising the use-by date was three days ago, or emptying a half-full bowl of spotted apples and mouldy oranges in the bin?

If we are honest, many of us throw away more food than we like to think about. According to the European Commission, an estimated 100 million tonnes of food is thrown out every year in the EU. This wastage is costing us.