Current tips for reducing food waste

Current tips from food control to reduce food waste.

???? When planning meals, think ahead about what you can make with leftovers and leftover ingredients. For example, boiled potatoes are great for a casserole, grilled vegetables are a great addition to a salad or pasta, and can also be used to make a puree.

???? If you are spending the weekend at a cottage with relatives or friends, for example, agree in advance what food and how much each person will bring. This will help you avoid buying too much food, which would result in unnecessary food waste.

🌿Make sure the cold chain is not broken. If you are traveling to a cottage or a friend's house, for example, transport your food in a cooler and/or buy it as close to your destination as possible so that it doesn't spoil faster.

🌿Fresh herbs left over from cooking can be frozen. You can cut the leftover herbs into small pieces with scissors and store them in the freezer, where fresh herbs will last for up to six months.

???? Slightly wilted but otherwise good vegetables are not yet unusable, and can be used, for example, as baked roots or in soup.

🌿Growing an onion does not directly make it inedible, but a firm onion that looks good on the inside is still suitable for cooking.

???? Even sprouted potatoes can be used for cooking if the sprouts are still very small and the potato is otherwise firm and tasty. However, remove the sprouting parts and peel the potato before using.

🌿 Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate them after eating. If you know you won't have time to use leftovers right away, store them in the freezer.

🌿 Leftover uncooked vegetables can be chopped, pre-cooked if necessary, and frozen to keep them fresh longer.

🌿If you have leftover food that is still completely edible and you cannot use it yourself, you can offer it as food aid, for example in the Commu app.

More information on the subject can be found at the links below from the Natural Resources Institute and the Consumers' Union.

https://www.luke.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/teemat-ja-kampanjat/ruokahavikki

https://www.kuluttajaliitto.fi/materiaalit/ruokahavikki/

More information

Environmental Engineer Ilkka Kosonen, Imatra Region Environmental Service, ilkka.kosonenimatra.fi (ilkka[dot]kosonen[at]imatra[dot]fi), tel. 020 617 4631