Over Christmas and New Year, as well as during other big holidays, food takes centre stage and Swedish households tend to buy and prepare large quantities of food. Despite the fact that large sums are spent on food this time of year, a large part ends up being thrown away.
"Reflect, plan and buy smart! This will help you reduce waste," says researcher Helén Williams at ¹û¶³´«Ã½.
Over-buying, buffets with food being left out for long periods and not stored properly, as well as the tradition of having many different dishes are some of the reasons why too much food ends up in the rubbish at Christmas. However, with simple measures, it is possible to reduce waste and save money.
"By carefully planning our food shopping around Christmas and storing the food properly, we can reduce the risk of food waste," says Helén Williams, docent in environmental and energy systems at the Service Research Center (CTF) ¹û¶³´«Ã½, conducting research on the causes and consequences of food waste and what we can do to reduce it. "Fear that there won’t be enough food, or the desire to stick to traditions with many different dishes, often leads to food being thrown away. Plan for a smaller Christmas dinner and let your guests take home leftovers, or store the leftovers in the freezer– small efforts can make a big difference to both the environment and your wallet."
Climate impact and economic consequences
Food production is one of the major strains on the environment today. Reducing food waste is therefore one of the most effective measures we can take in our day-to-day lives to reduce our climate impact.
"The climate impact of food is greater than that of many other areas of consumption, so this is where our efforts can truly make a difference," says Helén Williams. "In addition to reducing food waste, cutting down on meat consumption is among the things that have the greatest effect, so replacing part of the meat with vegetarian alternatives is also an effective way to reduce your climate impact. This is important to consider since Swedes traditionally eat a lot of meat products around Christmas."
Despite climate reports showing a gloomy situation and the goal of halving food waste by 2030 being far off, there are signs that the recent years’ rising food prices have led to Swedish households throwing away less food.
"The fact that food has become more expensive means that more people make an effort to buy smaller quantities and use the food they buy more wisely," says Helén Williams. By making more climate-smart choices in our consumption, we can also save money."
Three practical tips for less food waste this Christmas
Helén Williams shares her best tips for reducing food waste over the Christmas and New Year holidays:
- Reflect, plan and buy smart: Reflect on what last Christmas was like and plan your food shopping based on that. Reduce the number of dishes, and avoid buying large packages if you are not sure that you will have time to eat it before it expires.
- Store the food right: Keep food hot or cold on the buffet table and quickly put any leftovers in the fridge to keep them from going bad. It can also be a good idea to lower your fridge temperature to 4 degrees, as this can sometimes double the shelf life compared to 8 degrees. By keeping things in order in the fridge, it is easier to get an overview of what needs to be eaten quickly.
- Make use of leftovers: Share leftovers with your guests to take home. You can also keep leftovers in the freezer to be used in January when money might be a bit tight. A good idea is to have a box for leftovers in the freezer to get a better overview. Old leftovers can become new dishes.
