Laura Jarman, Bankueteer

“Are you gonna eat that, or….?”

We’ve all got that friend. Swooping in on your leftovers as soon as you’ve pushed them aside (despite polishing off their own plate only a few moments ago…).

Well with Stop Food Waste Day just around the corner - an international day of action against food waste on 28th April - they could soon be promoted from ‘gannet’ to ‘game-changer’.

Wasting away

Hunger impacts 8.4 million people in the UK. That's almost the entire population of London. Meanwhile, 3.6 million tonnes of food is wasted by the UK food industry every year. And 2 million tonnes of this surplus food is still edible…that’s enough for a staggering 1.3 billion meals!

With vast amounts of good food wasted annually and millions of people struggling to afford to eat, it’s perhaps unsurprising that food waste is one of the root causes of hunger around the world, alongside extreme poverty and conflict.

Banks not bins

Here at Bankuet we believe no-one in the UK should be going hungry. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to get food banks what they need, when they need it.

Food banks help distribute unwanted or surplus food, that would otherwise have been wasted, to people who are most in need. But they can often be overloaded with bulky donations and backlogs of beans…

That’s where Bankuet comes in. Our deliveries are specifically requested, so nothing goes to waste and storage isn't overstretched.

Want to play your part for Stop Food Waste Day?

Try out our top tips below and head to bankuet.co.uk/givenow to help tackle food waste and fight hunger in the UK.

1. Make the most of your freezer ❄️

Already aced batch cooking? Try some of these cool hacks:

• Freeze whole or chopped chillies and ginger

• Freeze portions of homemade pesto in an ice tray

• Freeze wilting herbs to flavour oils, sauces, soups etc

• Freeze leftover squeezed lemon and lime rinds to use for infusions

• Freeze overripe bananas and wrinkly grapes for smoothies and sorbets

• Freeze vegetable ends to make stocks

• Make toast straight from frozen sliced bread

2. Keep things fresh 👃

• Rotate food in the fridge by putting older food at the front to remind you to eat it first.

• Research how to store foods properly. Keeping the refrigerator below 5°C (41°F) and storing food in sealed containers can help to prolong freshness!

3. Rethink kitchen waste 💭

Don’t bin it - get creative!

• Roast vegetable peelings to make vegetable peel crisps!

• Make stocks and broths out of vegetable ends

• Mash up old bananas, avocados and coffee grounds to make face masks

• Make a smoothie out of overripe fruit

And if it’s too late for any of that - compost it!

4. Plan your meals 📝

Decide what meals you’re going to have in the week ahead. It’ll help you to only buy what you need.

Got leftovers? Make a soup, curry or stir fry with all the veg at the end of the week!

5. There’s an app for that! 📲

• Olio connects neighbours and local retailers so surplus food can be shared and not binned

• Too Good To Go and Karma are platforms for stores to sell their surplus produce at a reduced price

• Farmdrop is a farm-to-door style delivery service

6. Buy wonky veg 🍆

Supermarkets turn away fruit & veg that doesn’t meet strict cosmetic and quantity requirements. But many companies are doing something about this by rescuing odd and surplus fruit & veg.

• Oddbox is a monthly subscription to a veg box full of wonky veg

• Rubies in the Rubble make condiments packed with ingredients that would have been wasted

7. Grow your own 🌱

You don’t necessarily need a plot of land to have a go! Try growing your own windowsill herbs or Google “indoor veg growing kits” to see what you can find!

8. Shop zero waste ⛔️🗑

Zero waste stores allow you to bring your own jars and containers that you refill. Do a bit of research to see if there are any zero waste shops in your area.

By giving through Bankuet, your generous online donations are converted into the supplies that food banks need most - helping them play a crucial role in the fight against food waste and hunger.

Want to play your part? Help us tackle food waste and fight hunger. Bankuet gets food banks what they need, when they need it.