10 ways to prevent food waste

It's World Hunger Day on Sunday, and in honour of the seventh annual event, we have put together 10 ways you can avoid wasting food. 

According to The Hunger Project, there are 795-million people around the world who are chronically hungry. 

Over 50% of households in South Africa reportedly experience food insecurity or hunger. 

Here's how you can cutback on the amount of food you waste.

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1. Plan your meals: This will help you avoid buying food you don't need, which could ultimately end up in the trash. 
2. Don't ignore the "ugly" produce: Most people don't like buying produce that looks "ugly" or "funny". Produce that is not the right size, colour or shape is often ignored by shoppers. Just because they don't look as good as the picture you have in your head, does not mean they are not good enough to eat. 
3. Pack groceries smartly: When putting your groceries away, make sure you pack the new products in the back of your cupboard  and fridge. This will help make sure you use the old products first so that they don't expire. 
4. Expired food can still be eaten - sometimes:  You can typically still use products that has expired a few days past their "used-by" dates. Expiry dates are generally used for stores to rotate stock, and as an indication when products have reached their peak quality. You can test if something has gone bad by taking note of the look, smell, and taste of the product. 
5. Keep track: If you are not keen on eating food a few days past its "use-by" date, then take note of products with expiry dates coming up. Plan meals for the week that require those products. This will help you avoid throwing expired food out. 
6. Check your fridge's temperature: If your fridge is set to an incorrect temperature it could cause your food to go bad. 
7. Don't throwaway leftovers: Before tossing your leftovers in the bin, think of ways you can turn them into other meals. 
8. Freeze food: If you live alone, and find yourself throwing away bread often, try freezing it. Whenever you buy a loaf, freeze half until you are ready to use it. Let it defrost on the counter overnight. 
9. Turn food scraps into compost: If you have a small garden in your backyard, you can use wilted vegetables, potato skins, and other food scraps to make compost. 
10. Take a doggy bag: If you still have a decent amount of food left on your plate after eating at a restaurant then ask the waiter to bag it up so you can eat it later. 

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