It has been calculated that Irish householders throw out an average of €700 worth of food each year, and in response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is running a campaign to raise awareness, called 'Food: Make the Most of It' - proposed to highlight food waste issues and to try and encourage everyone to try and make the most of their food.
Though the individual amounts of food people waste may seem small, once it is all added up the total volume of food waste is equal to around one million tonnes or more. Some of the most common types we throw away include food types such as meat and fish, dairy products, bread, fruit and vegetables.
The organisation Stop Food Waste has released an "A - Z of Foods", available on their website. This is a handy resource which can provide ingredient specific tips to make the most of these common items which too often go to waste; it can provide information on each type for storage and preparation, buying and cooking each from apples to zucchini.
Speaking about the campaign, Laura Burke, Director General, EPA said:
"The EPA is committed to providing leadership and support towards reducing food waste through our Stop Food Waste programme. Stop Food Waste has been raising awareness, engaging communities and small businesses and building capacity for food waste prevention around the country. Through the Stop Food Waste Challenge, for example, communities are working together to learn and share ideas about reducing food waste. And for food waste that cannot be prevented, Master Composters around the country are trained on all aspects of home composting."
Are you wondering why we're discussing legislation in the Republic of Ireland? Watch this space...
