There are so many benefits to cutting down on food waste – from saving money and preventing pollution to supporting your community by ensuring there are enough resources to go around. Right now, no one can afford to be throwing away food, whether it’s week-old leftovers or produce that’s passed its sell-by date.
With these simple tricks, you’ll master efficient grocery shopping and easy meal prep to seriously cut down on food waste at home.
Plan ahead
Planning meals for the week starts with checking to see what’s in the fridge, so you can make the most of what you already have. LG’s range of InstaView Door-in-Door fridges make this easy; by simply knocking twice on the tinted glass panel, you can see what’s inside without opening the door. No more rummaging through the fridge and letting out all the cold air.
When you’re planning meals for the week, have a list of ingredients for meals your family enjoys, so it’s easy to shop for and prepare dishes. Also, think about how many times you’re likely to eat out or order takeaways, and include quantities on your shopping list, so you don’t overbuy. Buying in bulk only saves money if you use the produce before it spoils.
Think about storage
Before you unpack the groceries, think about what should go where. Did you know some fruits and veggies give off natural gases as they ripen, causing other nearby produce to spoil faster? Try to store bananas, apples, and tomatoes separately, and keep other fruit and veg in different drawers or bins.
It also helps if the fridge temperature stays constant. The LG InstaView boasts three cooling technologies, including Door Cooling +. As a bonus, the intelligent Hygiene Fresh air filter eliminates up to 99.9% of bacteria and reduces odours, so your food is stored in a clean environment. All these systems work together to help food stay fresh for longer, so nothing goes to waste.
Get creative about preserving
If items in the fridge start to look sad, it’s time to get preserving. Check out a few recipes online and freeze, preserve, or even repurpose surplus fruits and veg to prevent them from going to waste. You could also freeze leftovers if you know no one’s going to eat them in the next few days. Aside from being better for the environment, this means you have a few frozen meals in the freezer in case of emergencies.
If produce seems to be spoiling faster than normal, it might be time to check your fridge settings. With the InstaView’s Smart Diagnosis feature, it’s easy to troubleshoot issues. Simply call the LG Customer Service Helpline, place your phone on the fridge’s Smart Diagnosis icon, and allow the fridge to communicate with a computer. This produces a diagnosis in seconds and suggests an immediate solution.
We can all find more efficient ways to make the most of our groceries. Hopefully, these tips have sparked a few more ideas. Here’s to becoming produce-savvy food heroes!
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