Lets plan not to.

It's a fact that we don't often hear about or discuss much. Food waste. As developed countries we throw out way to much food. Food lands in our household bins for a few reasons. One of which is that it has expired in some form or another, gone past its use-by either by the date or by decay. When you sum the waste up in terms of dollars, time used shopping and unused produce its just too much.

But what can the average home do?

PLAN. Being organised takes effort and I often have mental battles, unwilling to do it yet knowing I'll be glad I did.

So here's some of the kind of planning I do.

Plan the Menu.

The evening before grocery shopping day I sit down and plan a week's worth of menu. When deciding what is going to be on that menu I shop my pantry and freezer first, what do I already have that I can use?

I try to plan it so that we don't have the same kind of protein / meat next to each other on the menu. I also like variety in our carbohydrate's. Traditionally New Zealand is a meat and three veggie kinda place but over the years our tastes have changed and we have more variety in our stores. I like to make sure we get variety in our meals, the protein, the carbs and the veggie's. While you are planning your menu, write your shopping list of missing ingredients.

Shopping.

Take your list with you. Shop to that list especially on fresh produce and things with short expiry dates. If something is on special I try to decide if we are likely to use the extra that the store is trying to get me to buy, before it expires or not. Retailers are not interested in how much you throw out. Their job is selling. Grocery stores are set up to sell. The companies that sell to the supermarkets pay extra to have their product placed at eye level or to have those end of aisle bins that attract our eyes so easily.

Don't go shopping on an empty stomach. Grab some fruit or a handful of nuts as well as a drink before you go. This helps to prevent on the spot sales, buying things that your hungry tummy tells your brain you need.

That's the shopping taken care of. We will catch up another time on how to store your groceries, especially the fresh produce to prolong their shelf life.

Lets plan not to waste so much food.