According to the Food Waste Index Report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), each person wasted 79 kilos of food in that year.

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With this in mind, Too Good To Go shared, in a statement, a handful of tips against food waste.

1- Meal planning

Make a weekly meal plan and, from that plan, create a conscious shopping list, ensuring that you only buy essential ingredients and avoid unnecessary expenses at the supermarket. In addition, keeping the refrigerator organized is a good strategy to easily visualize all the food and prevent some from being forgotten and spoiling. When cooking, try to estimate the necessary portions to avoid making too much food and serve adequate portions during meals to avoid waste.

2- Full use of food

Do not waste peels, stems, and leaves; integrate them into recipes such as soups, broths, and salads. Use the cooking water from the vegetables to enrich soups or broths and the defrosting water to water the plants. In addition to enriching your culinary creations, these practices contribute to a more efficient use of water and the full use of food. It is also essential to effectively manage leftovers, either by reusing them in new recipes or freezing them for future consumption. For a more sustainable approach, you can explore preservation techniques such as fermentation, dehydration, and canning, which allow you to extend the shelf life of food.

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3- Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables

Opt for local and seasonal products, which are less likely to spoil quickly. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are grown respecting the natural growth cycle, being harvested at their point of maturation. These foods are healthier, tastier, and more nutritious, as they do not depend on the use of chemicals for their development. When consumed shortly after harvest, these foods maintain a high nutritional value, as they absorb all the nutrients from the soil until the moment of harvest. In addition, they have a lower environmental footprint, as they do not require long periods of transport and storage. By opting for seasonal foods, you are also supporting local farmers and the economy of your region.

4- Composting

Opt, whenever possible, for composting as a sustainable way to reduce food waste. By transforming organic waste into ecological fertilizer, this practice reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills. In addition to being a way to improve environmental conditions, composting protects the soil against degradation, provides nutrients, and favors the microbial activity of the soil.

5- Control expiration dates

It is important to regularly check the 'best before' dates of food and give priority to those that are closest to the end of this period. 

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