Replenish Oxfordshire
🌍 We help people to cook and grow healthy food with zero waste.
Save the surplus podcast
Listen to our new podcast to find out about the local community groups and organisations tackling the problem of food waste in Oxfordshire.
Dr Caroline Wood talks to Cherwell Collective’s Community Larder about their partnership with Oxford Food Hub; The Down to Earth Community Cafe, who are using surplus food to teach cooking and socialise; and the mental health charity Restore who joins us in talking about the joys of composting.
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Listen on podbean
Food Waste Facts
- Over 70% of UK food waste happens at home.
- The average family throws away £730 of food a year.
- Food waste feeds climate change – global food waste accounts for 3 X more greenhouse gas emissions than flights!
The Replenish project is managed by Community Action Groups Oxfordshire and funded by Oxfordshire County Council.
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5 tips for avoiding food waste
1. Know your dates. ‘Use by’ is about safety – food should not be eaten after this date (even if it looks/smells fine) – unless you freeze it on or before this date. ‘Best before’ is about quality – although food won’t be at top quality after this date, it will still be safe to eat for some time.
2. Eat from root to fruit. Always binning potato peel, broccoli stems and leek tops? Over two-thirds of the food we waste is perfectly edible, so using every edible bit of your food is essential. Vegetable peel is often highly nutritious , containing antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and up to 33% more fibre than the flesh. See here for some foods that most people don’t realise are edible.
3. Keep your fridge cool. The average fridge temperature in UK homes is nearly 7°C, but foods will last longer if they are kept at under 5°C.
4. Snap a shelfie. If you’re not a fan of shopping lists, take a picture of your fridge/cupboard shelves before you head to the shops instead. This will stop you
from buying something you’ve already got at home.
5. Savvy storage. Most fruit and veg will stay fresher for longer in the fridge. The key exceptions are bananas and pineapple (keep these on the counter) and onions (which should be kept in a cool, dark, dry place – like a cupboard!). Not sure where something should be stored? Try this Food Storage A–Z!
*not including waste from primary production (e.g. farm waste) due to lack of data
Replenish 