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Food shopping tips

One of the main reasons why we end up throwing food out with the rubbish is a lack of planning when it comes shopping. This lack of planning means you buy food you don’t eat in the end and which eventually goes off.

Steps such as writing a shopping list, thinking up a weekly menu and cooking the right portions are some of the things that enable you to save money and avoid food ending up in the rubbish before you have had time to consume it.

Take a look at the following tips to make sure you shop without wasting food:

Before going shopping, it’s important that you think about the food items you need and the amounts or portions for each one. You need to bear in mind how many people you anticipate will be eating at each meal.

When planning the weekly menus it’s a good idea to check what food items there are in the fridge, freezer and cupboards so you use them before their expiry date.
A shopping list can be an indispensable item when it comes to going shopping. A closed list with the amounts you need for each item means you will avoid the temptation to buy products you won’t consume.

When compiling a shopping list you also have to think in the short term, as a long-term meal plan will always be more difficult to fulfil. That will also ensure you always have fresh produce and avoid buying those products you aren’t sure you will use.
Before going out shopping it’s important to have a quick look at the list you've made and decide the route, depending on what food you need. We often go shopping in a rush but you need to take your time to do a good shop. The order you buy food in is important to make sure you arrive home in good shape.

And when it comes to filling the bags or shopping trolley, it’s important to do that in the right order too. Always put drinks and tinned food at the bottom and continue filling each bag or the trolley bearing the weight of each item in mind. Put food that might be damaged if it gets squashed at the top, for example, greens or eggs.
To avoid throwing food away, it’s really important to take a close look at the labels. You should always check the best-before or expiry date of a product, as well as the conditions for conserving and storing it before opening it, and how long it lasts once it has been opened.

Before choosing the product you want to buy, you need to be clear about whether you can consume it before the expiry date and, once opened, whether you’ll finish it before it goes off. If you aren’t clear about that, you can opt for smaller alternatives or items grouped in fewer units.