How to reduce food waste
Even if you live frugally, there’s always a certain amount of waste associated with food. Organising your fridge and pantry is a way to reduce waste – as well as to make your home a little tidier.
A research by DECO PROteste made for IKEA in December 2023 shows that a Portuguese household of three* can save €32 per year by storing food in appropriate containers and places, making it possible to avoid significant waste of around 23kg of food per year.
*Household made up of three people, two adults and one child or young person. Both adults work outside the home and the child or young person goes to school or university
Assuming that average food waste in the home is 372kg for this family and that 6.1% of this waste, 23kg, is due to poor food storage, which includes food being kept in unsuitable containers or in poorly sealed containers, food left outside the fridge, etc.
Savings of €32 per year with appropriate storage
By storing food in appropriate and places, significant food waste can be avoided.It's important for the containers to be transparent and airtight and that they can be kept in the fridge and the freezer, like IKEA 365+ containers.
The average amount of food wasted by this family due to poor storage is assumed to be 23kg. On average, food consumption of 2,760kg, corresponding to an annual cost of €3,907 per year.
Avoiding 23kg of waste corresponds to annual savings of €32.
Portuguese households waste about 13.5% of the food they buy.
16% of Portuguese families throw food away, at least sometimes, because too much food was cooked.
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