The first step against food waste? Planning your weekly menu as much as possible and doing your shopping smartly by buying only the food you need in the short term. It may sound like obvious advice, but it is one of the most effective anti-waste practices. The main causes of waste, according to the Osservatorio waste watcher di Last minute market/Swg 2019, are expiry dates (in 63 per cent of cases), mould in 51 per cent, over-purchasing in 58 per cent of cases, and over-preparation in 43 per cent.

On this note, among the labels printed on food packaging, an important distinction must be made between the wording "use by" and "best before". In the first case, the food may only be consumed up to the expiry date; in the second case, it is a minimum durability date: it indicates the date up to which the product, if stored correctly, retains its organoleptic properties intact. The food can be consumed after that date without any risk to health, though with some chance that it will gradually lose its taste and quality the further one gets from the indicated day.

The role of food storage in fighting food waste

This is just one example of how a few extra useful pieces of information can help us avoid throwing food away. A second, simple piece of advice concerns the proper storage of food, from the pantry to the fridge to the freezer. Small adjustments in our habits, together with increasingly advanced technology, help to keep products in the right state of preservation or even extend their shelf life.

Fridge and freezer: let's use them the right way

A simple example: organising food in the fridge can extend its shelf life; on the upper shelves, where the temperature is around 8–10 degrees, leftover food and tropical fruits should be placed; the 0 degrees of the lowest shelf is perfect for red meat, fish and poultry, while fruit and vegetables should be kept in the dedicated drawers, where the temperature is around 2 degrees; finally, it is best to use the compartments in the fridge door for eggs, milk, water, cheeses and jams. Food should then be placed in the appropriate containers, separating product types as much as possible. When you organise the pantry or the fridge, remember to place at the front, within easy reach and sight, those items closest to their expiry date, and to put newly bought or fresher food at the back.

The fridge is not a cupboard in which to pile things haphazardly, but a highly energy-intensive appliance that absorbs around 3.5 per cent of all national electricity: more than trains and trams combined.
Electrical energy should not be wasted either, so the fridge should be kept neither too full nor too empty. The ideal is to distribute the contents evenly across the shelves. When it is running low, some bottles of water can be stored inside; thanks to their considerable thermal mass, they help maintain a low internal temperature and, indirectly, reduce the workload of the compressor and energy consumption.

It is a good idea to check the fridge regularly to see whether any product is about to expire and therefore needs to be consumed straight away to avoid throwing it out, or whether a leftover from the day before has been forgotten. And don't overlook the freezer (where the temperature must be -18 degrees or lower): anything that won't be eaten immediately and risks going off can be frozen and consumed at a later date, thus avoiding food waste.