We thank Mary Louise Ward for such helpful advice regarding becoming a Smarter Shopper. Mary Louise will again be visiting Supervalu this Friday. (S.R.)
Become a Smarter Shopper
On my recent visits to O’Keeffe’s SuperValu I had the pleasure of chatting about smart shopping with lots of lovely Millstreet locals. They were enthusiastic about the Smart Store Cooking food waste initiative, and they were keen to learn ways to improve habits – especially how to become a smarter shopper.
Practical meal planning and reliable shopping lists are probably the two most important steps to becoming a smarter shopper and helping to reduce food waste at home.
When planning meals, always check what you already have and include these items in your meal plan. It’s better to shop often rather than trying to bulk buy for the entire week – your week-long plans will often change and food goes to waste. To make life easier, you could assume you will cook a number of your family favourites every week. Meal planning is kept simple, especially if you can stock up with regular store cupboard essentials.
Keep a single shopping list within easy reach, and add to it as you think of the ingredients you will need or run out of.
Always take that list with you when going shopping, and make sure to stick to it, and remember, never shop hungry! If you have a plan for what you buy, you can still benefit from special offers, without overstocking and wasting money on surplus food that gets wasted or on the disposal costs of the wasted food.
Be smarter still and make sure to store your food properly at home. Do you know what items should be kept in the fridge? What produce lasts longer if stored in a cool, dark place? Or which fruits and vegetables should be kept separate from others so as to stop them spoiling quickly? You will find lots of valuable tips and advice about buying and storing food in-store at O’Keeffe’s SuperValu or check out the ‘A-Z of Foods’ at www.stopfoodwaste.ie
