Articles · Habits
Food waste starts with the shopping list
Households throw away more food than shops and restaurants put together. Here's why, what "use by" and "best before" really mean, and a weekly routine that wastes less.
· 4 min read
Think about the last thing you threw away from the fridge. Half a bag of salad gone slimy? The end of a loaf? A yogurt that passed its date while you weren't looking? You're not alone, and it adds up to far more than you might guess.
How much food is wasted?
The United Nations estimates that in 2022 the world wasted about 1.05 billion tonnes of food in shops, restaurants and homes: around a fifth of the food available to us. And the biggest share, about 60%, was wasted at home: roughly 79 kg per person a year.
Wasted food also wastes everything that went into it: land, water, fertiliser, fuel and work. Food loss and waste produce an estimated 8–10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
Think about it: If you had to guess, what does your household throw away most often? Bread, fruit, vegetables, leftovers?
Why does it happen at home?
Mostly for ordinary reasons:
- We buy more than we need, because of special offers, big packs, or shopping without a plan.
- We forget what's there, at the back of the fridge or the bottom of the freezer.
- We misread dates, throwing away food that's still perfectly good.
- We cook too much, and the leftovers never get eaten.
"Use by" or "best before"?
These two dates mean very different things:
- Use by is about safety. You'll see it on foods that spoil quickly, such as fresh meat, fish and ready meals. Don't eat them after this date, even if they look and smell fine. You can usually freeze them before it.
- Best before is about quality. Dry pasta, biscuits, tins and many other foods are safe after this date if stored properly; they may just be a little less crisp or fresh. Look, smell and taste.
The Gleaners, Jean-François Millet, 1857, Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Three women bend to pick up the stray ears of wheat left in the field after the harvest, the right of the poorest. Behind them, the farm's full haystacks. Gleaning was waste-saving by necessity. Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsA weekly routine that wastes less
- Shop your kitchen first. Before writing a list, look in the fridge, freezer and cupboards. What needs using up?
- Plan the week's meals, even roughly, and buy for those meals only. Planning which meals share ingredients helps: half a cabbage in a stir-fry on Monday, the rest in a soup on Thursday.
- Write a list, and stick to it. It's your best defence against "three for two".
- Put new food at the back and older food at the front, so it gets eaten first.
- Freeze before it's too late: bread, bananas, cooked rice, leftover portions, herbs in a little oil.
- Give leftovers a plan: tomorrow's lunch, a soup, a frittata, fried rice.
Try this: SustainBite's weekly plan adds up what every meal needs into one shopping list, so you can buy for the week you've planned, not for the week you might have.
Think about it: Which meal this week could be made from what's already in your fridge?
Quick quiz
Where is most food wasted: farms, shops, restaurants or homes?
Of the food wasted in shops, restaurants and homes, about 60% is wasted at home.
Can you eat yogurt the day after its "best before" date?
Usually yes, if it's been kept cold and looks, smells and tastes fine. "Best before" is about quality. "Use by" is the date about safety.
What's the single most useful habit for wasting less?
Checking what you already have, then planning meals and shopping from a list.
Sources
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask a doctor or dietitian what is right for you.