Scottish Householders Urged To ‘Love’ Seasonal Orchard Fruits

Issued: 15 November 2008

Leading Scottish chef Tom Kitchin is encouraging Scotland's householders to reduce food waste by buying seasonal and locally produced orchard fruits as part of his support for the latest phase of the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

The Michelin star chef helped launch the campaign with a visit to the orchards of South Queensferry's Craigies Fruit Farm, where he picked locally grown, seasonal fruits such as apples and plumbs.

Lending his backing to the campaign which launches today (Monday 6th) Tom said: "We are committed to a strict no waste policy at The Kitchin.We're passionate about the seasonality, freshness and flavour of the produce we use and avoiding waste doesn't have to mean compromising that.In fact, some of the best dishes can come from being creative, using every piece of produce possible and experimenting with ingredients.

"For us, the produce comes first and our dishes are always in line with the seasons.I visit our suppliers personally and ask them what they can recommend fresh that day.Many people try to start with a recipe first but it's better to look at the ingredients you have and then find a recipe that makes the most of them.It's the best way to avoid any waste and it also encourages you to experiment in the kitchen.Food is all about enjoyment and surprising yourself with something new."

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead also added his support to the ongoing campaign. He said: "The Scottish Government is committed to preventing waste at source.This is the best option for the environment as it saves natural resources and it saves money too.

"Tackling food waste helps meet our target of stopping waste growth by 2010 and with 20 per cent of the average household bin being from food, it will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

"The Scottish Government is committed to recycling 70 per cent of waste by 2025 and tackling food waste is a key part of the action we are taking to achieve a Zero Waste Scotland."

A recent survey by Waste Aware Scotland found that the majority of Scottish households - 85% per cent - believe they throw away only a small amount of uneaten food. However, previous research shows that around 587,000 tonnes of food waste is thrown out by Scottish households each year.

Encouragingly however, Waste Aware Scotland found that 86 per cent of Scottish householders feel it's important they're able to buy locally produced food; while 72 per cent feel it's important they're able to buy seasonal food. The main reasons respondents gave for buying seasonally or locally produced food were: support for local community/producers farmers (47 per cent); better flavour/freshness (44 per cent) and less transportation/food miles (22 per cent).

Dr Nicki Souter, Campaigns Manager for Waste Aware Scotland, commented: "We're trying to help people reduce food waste by making the most of seasonal food.It's a staggering thought that the average Scottish household throws away £410 per year on food that could have been eaten, simply because we forget to use it or cook too much.Our website www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk offers practical information and advice on planning, portioning and storage and has some delicious seasonal recipes from Scotland's top chefs and food writers.

"Most people have a great hint, tip or recipe idea to reduce food waste and we would love them to share their ideas on our website."

Love Food Hate Waste is a nation-wide initiative developed by Waste Aware Scotland, in partnership with the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to encourage the Scottish public to be more waste aware in its attitude to food.It has the backing of leading Scottish chefs including Nick Nairn, Tony Singh, Lady Claire Macdonald and Martin Wishart.

The campaign focuses on four key areas to help reduce food waste – planning and preparation, storing food, recipe ideas and portioning.The campaign website www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk offers a collection of hints, tips, recipes and advice from Scotland's best loved chefs and food writers.

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign and the reduction of food wastage plays a crucial role in achieving the wider aims of Greener Scotland to improve Scotland's natural environment and the sustainable use and enjoyment of it.

Recent research** has also revealed that Scottish householders throw away around one third of the food they buy - essentially binning one bag of shopping in every three!Most of this food could have been eaten with a little more planning and better storage.Less than one fifth of food waste is truly unavoidable.

Members of the public are encouraged to share their recipes, hints and tips on the Love Food Hate Waste website www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk.