Caithness residents offered advice on avoiding Christmas food waste

Caithness consumers have been offered advice on how to avoid Christmas food waste as families prepare for the festive celebrations.

Advice Direct Scotland (Ads), the country’s national advice service, is running an online campaign to help people protect the environment and make the most of their purchases.

The advice is part of the charity’s Countdown to Christmas campaign across social media, with handy tips for consumers.

Every year, over-purchasing and over-portioning leads to a huge amount of unnecessary food waste.

The top tips issued by Ads include:

• If you don’t need it, don’t buy it – reduce waste by not buying as much in the first place. Make a shopping list before you go and don’t be tempted into unnecessary purchases by the shine of deals such as Buy One Get One Free.
• Shopping after you have had a meal can help as heading to the shops on an empty stomach may increase the chances of buying unnecessary produce, just because it looks appealing at that time.
• Be creative with Christmas leftovers – vegetables and meat can make soups, curries and other dishes that can be frozen or given to friends and neighbours. But reheat sensibly – cooked food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer should be reheated and eaten within 24 hours of defrosting. Any longer than this would make it unsafe to eat.

Anyone in Scotland who wants advice on any consumer matter can contact consumeradvice.scot for free on 0808 164 6000. Specialist advisers are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday.

Marjorie Gibson, Ads head of operations, said: “Everyone wants to enjoy Christmas, however by over-purchasing, over-portioning and throwing away what we don’t use, we are not only wasting food – we are also wasting our own hard-earned cash.

“By making small changes to our spending patterns, we can save money and have a positive impact on the environment. The best way to reduce waste is by not buying as much in the first place. But being creative with leftovers is also a great way to reduce waste.

“Throughout the Christmas period, free advice is available for consumers in Scotland at consumeradvice.scot.”

TotalCtrl develops sustainable IT solutions to help food retailers in reducing food waste and save money and has a YouTube channel at: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LgpagWVwzEjYDXBWpfTtC3NXT8PKVK3

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