10 tips to reduce food waste at home
Dutch households throw away over 30 kilos of good food per person per year, according to measurements by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. That is a waste of food, money and all the energy that went into producing it. The good news: a few small habits quickly make a difference at home.
Shop smart
Most waste starts before you even get home: you buy more than you need.
- Make a weekly menu and a shopping list, and stick to them.
- Don't shop while hungry; you demonstrably buy more.
- Check what you still have at home first and plan around it.
Store your food properly
Proper storage often extends shelf life by days.
- Set your fridge to 4 degrees and give every product its right spot.
- Put new groceries at the back and older products at the front, so you use the oldest first.
- Use your freezer: bread, leftovers and even ripe bananas freeze perfectly well.
Cooking and leftovers
There is a lot to gain in the kitchen too.
- Weigh rice and pasta instead of guessing; that prevents oversized portions.
- Plan a fixed leftovers day to cook your fridge empty.
- Don't treat the best-before date as a binning date: look, smell and taste first. Best before means it is often still fine afterwards.
Rescue food at local businesses
Tip 10 happens outside your own kitchen: bakeries, restaurants and supermarkets also have good food left at the end of the day. With a food waste app like YumBite you reserve that surplus as a YumBox at a minimum 40% discount and collect it at the shop. You reduce waste and save on groceries at the same time.
Reserve a YumBox at a minimum 40% discount via the YumBite app at app.yumbite.nl.