5 Ways to Cut Food Waste (and Save Money)

In the last few years the cost of food has fluctuated dramatically. The broader cost of living has also spiralled out of control, leaving many people wondering how to afford healthy eating.

But healthy eating is actually one of the cheapest diets around. Research on from the University of Wollongong confirms that eating a diet based on whole and fresh foods is the cheapest option for most Australian families – despite food price hikes. If we're thoughtful about how we plan, shop, store and use food, we can cut a lot of food waste and save money, too.

“It is heartening to see in this data that the average cost of eating a diet rich in seasonal fruit and vegetables is still the most affordable option in this country,” Dietitians Australia CEO Robert Hunt said.

The study was based on the Eat Lancet diet principles, better known as the planetary health diet.

It emphasises a plant-forward diet where whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed. Meat and dairy are also important parts of the diet but in significantly smaller proportions.

Professor Karen Charlton, dietitian and leading researcher in sustainable diets says processed foods, on the other hand, can be expensive, unsustainable and unhealthy.

“What we eat has a significant impact on the environment, and when poor choices are made around discretionary foods – this has a significant impact on our health, too,” she says.

“Packaged and ultra-processed foods offer next to no nutritional value for us and contribute in volumes to global landfill.

The cost of food waste

Even when we pack our shopping bags with beautiful fresh produce and the best of intentions , we’re not using it to its full potential.

Every year, Australians waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food, costing each household up to $2,500 each a year. The garbage found in the average household bin is 40% food, with 18% of purchased food going to waste, even though 70% of it is still edible.

“Even small changes can make a large impact on how much personal food waste we all produce,” says Simone Carson AM, co-founder of food rescue organisation SecondBite.

How to cut food waste, fast

SecondBite ambassador and TV presenter Courtney Roulston, says cutting down food waste can be a creative challenge.

“That is what I love about cooking; it gives you the opportunity to be creative and test out new flavour combinations while finding alternative ways to use ingredients so they don’t end up in the bin.”

Roulston has shared her top five food waste tips.

1. Stale bread: less than fresh bread can be used as the base for so many meals. Turn them into croutons for salads or blitz with olive oil and garlic then toast to use as Pangratatto that can add a crunchy topping to your next pasta. Make a savoury bread and butter pudding by mixing stale sliced bread with eggs, milk, spinach and cheese.

2. Vegetable scraps: every week I have a container in the fridge that I collect all my vegetable scraps in and then I make a stock out of them with the addition of bay leaves, peppercorns and some salt. If I cook a Sunday roast, I add the leftover bones in also and simmer for a few hours for a flavourful bone broth.

3. Leftover herbs: when I have a few bunches of herbs that need using, I blitz them with a little garlic, parmesan, lemon juice, any nuts or seeds that need using and olive oil then freeze in an ice cube tray. You can pop out cubes as you need to add to pasta sauces, to use on roast meats or to swirl through yoghurt to use as a dressing for grilled vegetables.

4. Overripe bananas: I cut them into chunks and freeze in a container to use in banana bread, banana pancakes or to blitz with into a simple fruit `nice` cream during summer.

5. Potato peels and vegetable skins: peelings make a great crispy snack when tossed with a little olive oil, seasonings and roasted in the oven until crisp.

6. Cauliflower leaves: a lot of people throw them away, but they are completely edible and can be enjoyed in a few different ways. If roasting a cauliflower whole, leave the leaves on to protect the cauliflower and they add a crispy crunch to the outside of the tender roast cauli. They can also be chopped and used in a stir fry or salads. Or you can steam the whole leaves and coat them in a spiced chickpea flour batter and fry them until crispy.

This September, SecondBite, is encouraging Aussies to get creative in the reduction and/or elimination of their food waste with its 21-day ‘No Food Waste Challenge’. Aimed at promoting awareness of the charity’s efforts to support food insecure Australians, every $1 raised will help provide up to five nutritious meals for Aussies doing it tough.

Learn more food waste tips from Prevention Australia.