Have a Happy Zero Waste Christmas!

December 22, 2014

Love to enjoy your Christmas dinner? Indulging over the holidays need not generate food waste, and here are some tips to help you along :

While shopping and cooking

Take stock of what is in your pantry before shopping. Avoid buying a product which you already have in stock.
Have a plan. It’s hard to guess how much food will actually be consumed at your dinner table but if you take the time to estimate, you will save yourself some money and lessen your chances of ending up with too many leftovers. Try this portion planner to get quantities right: http://goo.gl/9xPtOV
Check the clearance section at your grocery store. Not only can you save money by purchasing these marked down items, you’ll be saving them from making their way to a landfill.
Use the whole bird and the whole vegetable. The skin of your vegetables has a ton of nutrients. If you forgo vegetable peeling, you are, as a result, being healthier and reducing food waste. You can also eat parts of the turkey that you automatically threw away last year such as turkey necks. http://goo.gl/YaZFf3
Promote smaller portions. Guests may be inclined to load up their plates with far more than they’ll actually eat in one sitting. Set out smaller serving spoons if hosting the meal family-style.

If you still made too much

Eat your leftovers. This one may seem obvious, but lots of leftovers wind up in the bin. Instead of throwing away your excess food, make a delicious snack or meal out of your Christmas leftovers. For example, have you ever thought of turning your Christmas pudding into a tasty strudel? You can find some other inspiring recipes here:http://goo.gl/I3VGh4
When in doubt, use your freezer. Buy extra ice cube trays, so much you can save using these.
Give back. Find a local food bank or a non-profit organisation to donate your excess food to. Not only will you be making a huge difference for someone in need, but you will also help divert waste from a local landfill or incineration. Apps are now available in different countries to help you find the nearest food bank or charity in your area.
Donate your scraps to a zoo or farm. Believe it or not, some zoos and farms will take your leftovers to recycle into animal feed.

The FUSIONS Members Love Food Hate Waste initiative and Unilever have also created a partnership aiming at helping twelve families across the UK to optimize the use of their leftovers at Christmas. The initiative was started when the need to have an online food directory came up. The objective behind it is to encourage people to eat responsibly and not waste food.

Find out more about this initiative and discover other useful Zero Waste Christmas tips here: http://goo.gl/mzWS1z