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M ake your weekly shop last longer with these tips from food app Gander

Shopper Denise Curran picking up a bargain with the Gander app

The cost-of-living crisis is deepening. With inflation having hit 10.1 per cent in July, and the energy price cap set to increase, many households across Northern Ireland are searching for ways to conserve energy and make their money last longer. One place where they can reduce wastage is on food.

T here are many simple but effective ways to achieve a zero-waste kitchen. It is easy to live less wastefully by re-using, recycling and composting rather than throwing things away.

Here are just ten ways to reduce food waste and get more out of your weekly food shop:

Why not try buying larger packs of meat or loaves of bread and freezing them into portions for when you need them. This will not only help save money but will also create less waste by preventing the excess from going bad in the fridge.

Try wrapping leafy greens like salad leaves in paper towels before storing in the fridge. This will absorb water and keep them fresh for longer.

To stop broccoli from going off quickly, simply chop the end off and store it in water in the fridge.

Batch cooking isn’t just a time saver, freezing full meals means that you have fresh nutritious food to hand for whenever you need it. Simply cook your meal, divide it into portions and freeze until you need them.

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Another time saver, freezing sandwiches is a great way to use up leftovers and organise your lunches for the week.

Simply make up your sandwiches, mark the date on them, then freeze and remember to defrost them the night before work!

Sustainably sourced tinned fish, like salmon or mackerel, is a fantastic cupboard staple. These tins can last for years, meaning that you will always have a quick meal available whenever you’re running a little low on provisions.

Fresh pasta is delicious, easy to make and a great way to use up some of those staples in your pantry. All you need is an egg, flour, salt, and olive oil to make a dough which you can then slice and boil for five minutes to cook.

Zero waste stores are popping up all over Northern Ireland, so why not call into your nearest one and bring empty containers to stock up on essentials like pulses, coffee, tea, cereals, nut butters and dried food. This can help to ensure that you buy only what you need and avoid non-essential packaging.

Why not ditch the plastic bottles and invest in an eco-friendly water filter. Some of the best can filter out unwanted substances using natural materials like charcoal and activated coconut shell carbon. Their carbon footprint is generally lower than other filter systems because they’re made from mostly plant-based and renewable materials.

For a truly zero waste kitchen, try ridding your pantry of plastic straws and give glass, metal, or bamboo straws a go.

Food apps can help you to save money on your weekly shop while considerably reducing food waste. Innovative mobile app, Gander, for example, allows you to view reduced to clear (often yellow-stickered) food and drink, in real time, placing bargains in the palm of your hand and helping you to save money on your shop.

Stacey Williams, Head of Customer Relations, and Business Development at Gander, says, “Food waste is a real problem. The United Nations’ (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022* revealed that 17 per cent of total food is wasted at the consumer level and it is incumbent upon all of us to look at ways that we can mitigate this.

“We created the Gander app specifically to address waste within the food chain by ensuring that the consumer is armed with live information about reduced products in store.” Of course, easy identification of yellow stickered goods also helps to save money and our research has shown that Gander shoppers save on average 56 per cent on their food shop. According to Statista, the average NI household spent around £70 a week on food and non-alcoholic drinks in 2021, making this an average saving of £39.20.”**

To find out more about Gander, go to: https://www.gander.co. The Gander app can be downloaded via the Apple or Android app stores and used to locate reduced items at your nearest participating SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOxtra store.

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