Food

Food waste collected for recycling is taken to a special anaerobic digestion plant in Mitcham where it is turned into fertilizer for local farms and energy for the national grid. A by-product of the process is biogas which is then used to power homes and businesses, as well as the trucks collecting your food waste. In the near future, we will be one of the first boroughs in the country to use trucks fuelled by food waste.

1. Plan ahead - Check what’s in the cupboard, fridge and freezer before going shopping. Push things to the front that need eating up and think about what you could buy to complement what you already have. Making a shopping list is also a great way to avoid waste and save money.

2. Know your dates & Store correctly - The only date label that matters is ‘use-by’. Use foods with the shortest use-by date first, and put food that won’t get eaten into the freezer. Store food correctly and you can extend its’ life and keep it fresher for longer

3. Perfect portions & Love leftovers - Measure portion sizes helps us to avoid cooking too much. But when you do be creative with using up leftovers

4. Cut down on the meat - reduce your intake, try and use meat alternatives

5. Shop seasonally – only buy fruit & veg that is in season

6. Recycle, use your caddy! - Food scraps, peelings & even tea bags can be recycled through your council’s food waste service. By recycling, you can help create green energy & fertilizer.

7. Keep a short food waste diary - Keeping track of the amount of food going in your food recycling bin or kitchen bin is a great way to identify the items you throw away most often.

On some products you can find up to 4 different dates – display until, sell by, best before and use by. To clear up the confusion, here is what the important date labels mean:

Use by

This is the really important one and can be found on fresh foods. It relates to safety as eating food after the use by date increases the likelihood of food poisoning. However, if a food can be frozen, its life can be extended – freeze it on or before the ‘use by’ date. Take a look in your cupboards and fridge regularly and eat, cook or freeze your food before its ‘use by’. Doing this means you don’t end up throwing it away.

Best Before

‘Best before’ dates show how long the food will be at its best quality – it doesn’t refer to safety. Using food after the ‘best before’ means that it will just not be at its best in terms of quality, but you might not even be able to taste the difference. The exception to this rule is eggs – providing the eggs are cooked thoroughly, they can be eaten a day or two after their ‘best before’ date, but not longer than this.

Sell By and Display Until

You can safely ignore this. Both are used by shops you buy food from.