This Campaign Is Making Food Labels Clearer To Reduce Waste – Here's How You Can Help Too

News flash: don't store your milk in the door of the fridge.

Food waste is a huge issue in the UK. So much so that it's predicted that Brits chuck away 10% (!!!) of their weekly food shop all because the labels can be kind of confusing.

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That's £346 per household per year of food!

For instance, "Best Before", "Sell By", and "Use By" all sound kind of similar but they actually all mean different things?!?!

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"Best Before" dates are actually just a guideline of quality, rather than a hard and fast rule of when an item needs to go into the bin. After the "Best Before" date your item may not be at peak tastiness, but if it still looks, smells, and tastes okay then you should still use it!

And that's why anti-waste food innovator, Too Good To Go, is launching its "Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste" campaign which encourages people to do just that with their food.

They're working with brands like Danone, Activia, and Cravendale to help make their packaging clearer – meaning that the next time you’re in the supermarket you may see some useful changes to food labels for yoghurt, cheese, and milk, that can help you prevent food wastage!

This change will no doubt be useful to many, so we decided to round up some extra tips to help with food wastage. Here’s some surprising facts and useful habits that can help you to reduce food waste effortlessly:

1. Ever gone to use a packet of spinach and then seen a puddle of brown water in the bottom of it? Pop a tea towel in with them to prevent that from happening.

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The tea towel will help to soak up excess moisture which causes your greens to wilt prematurely.

2. Store vegetables with a high water count, like celery and carrots, in water!

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Vegetables with a high water count can dry out when they're stored, but keeping them in a jug of water will help to prevent this.

3. And do the same with some herbs too.

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Keep soft herbs, like mint and coriander, fresher for longer by popping them into a glass of water like you would for flowers. For harder herbs like Rosemary and Thyme wrap their stems in a damp piece of kitchen paper.

4. Hang your bananas on a hook – not only do they look pretty, but they'll stay fresh for longer too!

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As soon as bananas are picked, they start to emit ethylene gas which can cause the break down of cells, and they begin to go brown quicker. But when you hang bananas, this process slows, keeping your bananas looking nice and yellow for longer!

5. Wise up on what foods can be stored together.

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The ethylene gas emitted by bananas and apples can also make other fruits decay quicker, while the gas released by onions can cause potatoes to sprout quicker.

6. Strip your vegetables naked of their plastic packaging!

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Plastic packaging can actually cause fruit and vegetables to wilt more quickly. Even better, try to buy fruit and vegetables that isn't sold in plastic packaging if it is available to you!

7. And chop off the tops of your root vegetables while you're at it.

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The tops of root vegetables like beetroots and carrots can draw away moisturise from the root causing it to wilt quickly.

8. Airtight resealable jars will help you to keep pantry items from going ~chewy~.

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We've all had a chewy biscuit or bowl of cereal – keep them fresher for longer with some resealable containers like Kilner jars.

9. Raw meats should be kept on the bottom shelf of your fridge.

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As well as being the coldest area of thee fridge, keeping meat here will prevent any liquids dripping onto other foods.

10. And stop storing dairy and eggs in the door of your fridge.

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While some fridges will come with an egg box or butter dish in the fridge door, this is not actually the best place to keep any dairy products as opening the door can cause the temperature to rise. Instead, keep your dairy products near the back of the fridge on the lower shelves where the won't be at the mercy of the changing temperature so often.

11. If you're a big cheese eater, store your favourite wedges in waxed paper.

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Waxy papers wicks away moisture from cheese, while still allowing it to breathe. Once you've wrapped it, pop it on the top shelf of your fridge where the temperature tends to be more consistent.

12. And did you know that you can freeze eggs? Because I did not!

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You can either freeze boiled eggs, or crack your eggs, beat them, and then pop them into a plastic container. Once unfrozen, they can be used for scrambled eggs or omelettes.

13. Buy a compost bin for any vegetables or fruits that do end up being chucked.

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Leftovers like skins or full items that would otherwise go to waste can be used for garden compost which you can then spread in flowerbeds or on your own vegetable patch!

14. Most of all, trust your senses – touch, smell, and look at ingredients to assess whether they're still good to go!

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The "Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste" label will now feature on some food packaging to encourage you to look beyond the "Best Before" label and utilise those senses of yours!

Do you have any tips that help you waste less food? Let us know in the comments!