TO mark National Stop Food Waste Day tomorrow (March 1), the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is calling on the people of Limerick to make use-by dates work for them and help prevent food waste.
Findings from a new EPA survey on food waste show that the main reason people throw away food in their household is because it has passed its use-by date.
And, while 76 per cent of people say they always or regularly check dates on food labels while shopping, few rate themselves highly at keeping track of food in the fridge to know what food there is to use and by when.
EPA Environmental Sustainability Programme Manager Warren Phelan said they were calling on everyone take a few simple steps to make the most of the food they buy.
“Irish households produce over 250,000 tonnes of food waste per year, at a cost of €700 per household. It takes a lot of resources to put food on our tables. Growing, processing and transporting food all use huge amounts of materials and energy. And when food is wasted, these resources are wasted too.
“Reducing food waste reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and also reduces bills for householders and businesses,” Mr Phelan added.
The EPA has five tips for working with use-by dates to avoid wasting food:
*Check use-by dates on food labels when shopping
*Store perishable food properly
*Keep track of use-by dates in your fridge
*Eat food before the use-by deadline is up
*Freeze food right up to its use-by date
