Have you ever thought about how much food we actually throw away? According to Milieu Centraal, we throw away no less than 9% of our food. That amounts to no less than 34 kilos of food per person per year. With all Dutch people together, we throw away almost 600 million pieces of food that is still perfectly good. What can I do about it myself? In this blog, we give you 5 tips to combat food waste. You will learn how to prevent food waste, what to do with food that you can no longer use and how you can contribute to a more sustainable environment. Read on to learn how to reduce food waste and contribute to a more sustainable planet!

Reducing food waste starts with you

How often does it happen to you that you throw away (actually quite unnecessarily) unused food? Often it concerns innocent amounts. For example, an apple that does not look quite right, the rest of a soft drink that you flush down the sink or a box of cookies that you do not like that much. At first glance it does not seem much and actually quite innocent. But all in all we throw away no less than 34 kilos per person per year.

Waste of money and bad for the environment

All that food waste is not only a shame for your wallet. The environment also suffers. All the energy that was needed to produce, transport, cool and package the food that you throw away is lost. In addition, you have to buy new products more quickly, which also requires energy. In short: it is better for everyone if we take a closer look at what we throw away. What can you do? Below you will find 3 handy Apps that you can use!

• Foodello

Foodello is a Finnish supermarket with a mission to combat food waste . You will find hundreds of products with an approaching expiration date here. These are only durable products, so you are not buying fresh fruit or vegetables here. The discounts vary from 20% to 90%. So you always save compared to a supermarket like Albert Heijn or PLUS . You can easily add your favorite chips or soda as a favorite. You will then receive a signal as soon as it is on sale.

• Albert Heijn Leftovers

Albert Heijn has had a great feature built into the App for a while now. When you select “Leftovers” in the App, you will find special offers with products that are left over and would otherwise be discontinued. They often also have an approaching expiration date. You can choose from different categories: surprise (these can be all kinds of products), vegetarian (without meat/fish) and bakery (stock up on cheap bread). The Leftovers packages start at €4.95 and can be picked up at your local AH store.

• Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go is an App that you may already know. This company was founded in 2015, but is now also available in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Switzerland and England. With this App you can easily search for products in your own area. These are often restaurants or shops that have an excess stock that they would like to make someone happy with instead of having to throw it away. In the App you can also make a list of favorites. If your favorite treat comes along? Then you will immediately receive a signal.