General Chat

I was a sucker for bogofs until the cupboard under the sink collapsed with the weight of all the unused cleaning products

We have found "ripen at home" to be a waste of money, it never ripened, it either dried up or rotted.

Never again.

I have read that report twice. I still cannot fathom the logic of the statistics!

Regardless of how much food is thrown away and wasted by us, the great unwashed (I certainly don't waste the average sum indicated) the blame lies elsewhere.

Not only the obvious culprit, the treasury, but with the major supermarkets!

Financially penalising suppliers for non conforming produce.

Pulling forward orders at short notice.

Overstocking.

Over packaging.

Flying in exotic produce all year.

Not investing in the UK farming industry.

Putting shareholders first.

My biggest bugbear is the tourist season! Every time one starts the food prices rise considerably. I was informed some years ago that our local supermarket (the largest!!!) employed extra staff to re-price everything Easter, Summer and Christmas. Our food shopping would rise between 8 and 10 percent when this happened.

I will NOT buy prepackaged fruit and veg. One of my friends gave me a tip years ago which I still do. The excessive stalk on broccoli gets snapped off and thrown back into the box before I bag it!!! I am not gonna pay for something I am not going to eat. I always found that prepackaged F & V had at least one piece of F or V that had to be discarded.

However, what the answer is I have no idea :-((

I was a child during the war, and we had to make do and mend. No wasted food, or what was over went in the pig swill, collected by the Council.

Now I plan my meals out, write shopping lists. Cooking neck of lamb today, and cooking all the potatoes I have left, having the extra ones cold with sandwiches.
Then start tomorrow on the new food I have just bought.

Our meals were always planned out for the week when I was a kid, and we had no waste.

My sister once said to me, "I have to go now and write out ???? food list"

when I questioned her she said she hated food waste and always made a meal plan for the week, then wrote a food list based on that and only bought what she needed. Not sure how that would work in a household of 7...

Daff pmsl

Julia I think you make some good points there.

Slightly off topic I'm sure money could be saved and put to better use if politicians weren't allowed to claim for second homes.

Daff - love that, love it. I'm too not well today, but hope I make sense.
Firstly, I don't think any of us elected 'Gordie' in. And would we, given the choice. He is such a Puritan, in the true sense of the word.
As to wastage of food. Who was it at Asda,Sainsbury's,Tesco, etc, etc, that invented the magic vegetable ruler, measuring device, that is used at the vegetable/fruit, packaging farms, to ensure that every Runner Bean is a foot long, or our vegetables and fruit conform to a set measurement. Our Gordie wants to get himself out of London, and down to these places, and see how much waste there is. Believe me, I know from first hand experience. The wasteage could feed a third world nation.
Also, particularly ladies, (please, no sexism intended here). Despite the uniform length/size of each veggie/fruit, what about the quantity. What about you pick up a pack of something, for instance, and it's too much for 2/4/6 people, but not enough for a second meal. So you have got to buy 2 packages. A very good selling ploy there, I think. You're made to think the're giving you something, but they are not.
And, my biggest beef. After successive governments have endorsed the omission of home economics/cookery from the school curriculum, we now have several generations,(well, those younger than me) who, do not only not know how to cook, work out a economic menu for a week for 2/4/6 people, etc, or know how to rechaufe.
Excuse me please Eldrick, not got me best head on today re spellings and punctuation.
How many of us today hark back to the days when a Sunday joint would be turned into several more meals on successive days.
What about the humble bubble and squeak, and cold joint, on a Monday. No, our successive elected representatives have,over the years instilled it in our brains, that these foods are unhealthy for us . So, what is healthy for us. Certainly not what goes into a McDee. I used to buy 'lites etc' to stew up for my dogs, only to be told that they went to the likes of burger manufacturers.
I despair, I truely do. And I don't need an unelected Scots Prebyterian pushing things down my throat. But please, I mean no disrespect to either Scots or Presbyterians.
Please be gentle with your replies, I feel abit poorly
Julia in Derbyshire

I dont doubt there is too much waste. My point is that it is disingenious, to say the least, to suggest that our economic problems are caused by it rather than the slightly more obvious reasons of taxation, government waste and profilgacy, global greed and emerging economies such as India and China.

If he doesn't understand these concepts, he really is in the wrong job.

And to quote a ludicrous statistic .....well. Does he have any credibility left at all?

Tomorrows tip from Indiana Brown will tell us how many sheets of toilet paper we should use. Just think how much money we would save if we all used half as much.

We would save far more if he stopped robbing us blind with his taxes. As we don't waste any food whatsoever, can I have a refund?

I do agree...there is far to much waste....
I have been guilty of over buying in the past... but the last few weeks I have made an effort to use everything in the fridge, and writing a list before going shopping... I have saved a packet... and been able to have other treats with the money I have saved...
cmdx

Even so,there is still far too much food wasted.Pigs can't have swill any more so it just has to go to rot on a tip.
Sell-by dates over-ride peoples savvy.They stick rigourously to them without thinking.
That greengrocer prosecuted for composting!

We shop on Wednesday and Tuesday is what's left in the fridge day.You will eat it!You will enjoy it!Even if you don't you will pretend to!What's wrong with egg and lettuce pie for God's sake?

Lies
Damn lies
And Statistics!


xxx mick

Eldrick, I am desperately trying to think of sommat witty to say to this bit :

*I personally feel insulted by a politician trying to force feed me this dubious theory backed up by spurious statistics all dressed up as fact*.

You know, along the lines of maybe Gordie should listen to his own rhetoric and stop trying to feed us the garbage we don't want... how very wasteful.

But only two of my braincells have joined me today... and they are not speaking to each other except to try to get me to hurl obscenities at the likes of pompous, unelected, overzealous autocratic, bumptious, bumbling, thieving, lying devious scaremongering, statistic-screwing politicians of the ilk of Dear Gordie. My two brain cells would like to personally forcefeed Gordie with his own c*ap.

Oh Dear.... better go back to bed and hope they get out of it the other side, lol!!

Love

Daff xxx

Who voted for him to be PM anyway?

Errrr.......other politicians lol

I agree with Langie Liz about the percentages.

Ann .I don't take a blind bit of notice of polititians other then to laugh and wonder what planet they live on .

My point exactly. He could get the percentages down even further if he found a rich person who shops at Netto or Aldi. Their percentage would then drop to 3 or 4%!

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

I personally feel insulted by a politician trying to force feed me this dubious theory backed up by spurious statistics all dressed up as fact.

Who voted for him to be PM anyway?

Did he say how much the wealthy pay out percentage wise.....in eating out....or in eating under the free lunches......and expenses blanket!!...that so many wealthy folk enjoy........no thought not....

I ain't hanging on his every word and I don't believe a word he says - most politicians seem to lie - they are full of ideals on the way up and when they get there they only think of themselves - those of us who lived through the war are very conscious of wasting food anyway, we do not need lessons from the likes of him or anyone else for that matter

Perhaps if he could see the quantities of food wasted by the supermarkets not being able to sell the bread, fruit, veg, fish and meat.......when they bring themselves into line, then they can perhaps, tell me what to do......until then.....I am big enough to know what I am doing, thank you Gordon.....

lol what ever next I hang on the mans every word ,he like all politians would never lie Eldrick .!!