What percentage of food do you waste?

LimeFruitGum · 06-02-2019 01:20PM

StillThinking wrote: »

I do know quite a few people who do big shops with great intentions and end up throwing most of it out as they were eating take aways. I once went to visit a friend and she was just clearing out her fridge, I seriously couldn't believe the stuff she was throwing away, full chickens, packs of mince, steaks! I could have fed my family for a week with half the stuff she was putting in the bin then she wonders why she's skint the whole time

Oh that would wreck my head too. Planning is great, but that’s no use if you don’t carry it out.

Dial Hard · 06-02-2019 02:00PM

StillThinking wrote: »

I once went to visit a friend and she was just clearing out her fridge, I seriously couldn't believe the stuff she was throwing away, full chickens, packs of mince, steaks! I could have fed my family for a week with half the stuff she was putting in the bin then she wonders why she's skint the whole time

I have two friends like this, they're both divils for doing a big shop with great intentions of cooking every night, then just get takeaways. They're both fat too, go figure.

I suspect people like this are pushing the average figure way, way up. We waste very, very little food in our house and any of my family/friends who cook most nights would be the same. But for every household like ours, there's one like the example above.

I HATE throwing out food. I take it as a personal affront to my planning abilities.

wakka12 · 06-02-2019 04:05PM

The odd time some groceries go off before I manage to get around to them. Im living alone so sometimes a few pieces of the bread loaf go mouldy before I get to the end, apart from that I consume everything I buy, nowehre near 30% is wasted, maybe 5%

Electric Sheep · 06-02-2019 04:10PM

It's just the two of us and we live in the city. We shop every day or two on an as needed basis. Very little gets wasted.

The "Big Shop" mentality is responsible for a lot of food waste.

freshpopcorn · 06-02-2019 04:14PM

It was actually the big shop that helped us cut down on food waste. Now we go out and get most shopping on Friday.
We used always be poping in before buying little things when we used be hungry and lots ended up getting wasted.

DaeryssaOne · 06-02-2019 04:17PM

I'd say I'd be somewhere around the 10% mark. I try to plan around what's fresh in the fridge and get to it before it's too late but sometimes it can be difficult to get through a big salad bag or something like a bag of onions etc myself.

Cream, milk, bread and veg are my biggest culprits, I'll always try to get meat in the freezer before it's too late but the challenge then is a) remembering it's actually there and not buying it again and b) also remembering to take it out that morning to defrost

iamwhoiam · 06-02-2019 04:19PM

We throw out almost nothing . I buy what we need , cook what we can eat and rarely go by use by dates . The only food I would not use past it use by date is chicken or fish . Leftovers usually used for next day lunch or in an omlette .
Bread crusts and fruit peel go to the geese down the road .
I don't actually understand people throwing out dry food like biscuits and cakes and sweets that are past the use by , unless moldy they are fine for ages after it !

Apparently the producers of bagged salad are making a fortune because so much is actually not eaten and more bought .

My dad used to say Mr Coleman made his fortune on the mustard left on the side of the plate !

Alf Veedersane · 06-02-2019 06:06PM

Food waste that one puts in their own composter is still food waste. It's just being composted by you.

The reality is that skins and peelings etc exist so there technically wouldn't be zero food waste. Unless you eat all that as well.

Dial Hard · 06-02-2019 06:09PM

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Food waste that one puts in their own composter is still food waste. It's just being composted by you.

The reality is that skins and peelings etc exist so there technically wouldn't be zero food waste. Unless you eat all that as well.

In fairness, this is splitting hairs somewhat. I think the vast majority of people would consider wasted food as food that you would normally eat but ended up throwing out. Not peels and trimmings.

Signore Fancy Pants · 06-02-2019 06:17PM

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Food waste that one puts in their own composter is still food waste. It's just being composted by you.

The reality is that skins and peelings etc exist so there technically wouldn't be zero food waste. Unless you eat all that as well.

I know a guy who eats kiwi fruit whole.

He's an asshole but that's not related.

Harry Palmr · 06-02-2019 06:19PM

I'm pretty good about this, wasted food is wasted money, and I hate wasting money!

Alf Veedersane · 06-02-2019 06:51PM

Dial Hard wrote: »

In fairness, this is splitting hairs somewhat. I think the vast majority of people would consider wasted food as food that you would normally eat but ended up throwing out. Not peels and trimmings.

It is and it isn't. If there is wasted food that goes in a home composted, it's still potentially avoidable waste. And avoidable consumption of resources further back in the chain.

The point about peelings was just a general point that there would never be zero waste in the sense where there will be food waste collected and managed in Ireland. As distinct from suggesting that people who are quite efficient with food resources and wasted little actual food were still sources of waste.

Alf Veedersane · 06-02-2019 06:52PM

Dale Doback wrote: »

I know a guy who eats kiwi fruit whole.

He's an asshole but that's not related.

Did that once. My tongue did not thank me.

Grandeeod · 06-02-2019 07:06PM

Dont waste much at all. I do regular small shops. Leftovers on plates goes in the compost bin if theres any. I use my freezer with deadly precision. My worst crime is out of date coleslaw

Dakotabigone · 06-02-2019 11:23PM

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Food waste that one puts in their own composter is still food waste. It's just being composted by you.

The reality is that skins and peelings etc exist so there technically wouldn't be zero food waste. Unless you eat all that as well.

Let us eat our excrement also in case any went to waste.

What percentage of food do you waste?

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