The average Brit will move home eight times in their lifetime. House moving is notoriously stressful with so many plates to spin. With all this moving around it is inevitable that some of your food will be left behind and wasted.

With canned food and bulky products like bags of pasta being heavy and rather annoying to include in a house move, it’s tempting to dispose of them before moving day. This all contributes to the food waste pandemic sweeping across the UK and beyond. In 2015, £13 billion worth of edible food was thrown away in the UK alone (up 7.3 million tonnes since 2012).

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But what can we do to prevent all of this food waste?

Even though moving home can be one of the most stressful times of your life, food wastage can still be easily managed without feeling overextended. Wasting food can always be avoided. A good starting point would be to speak with your moving company. They will assist you with your move from start to finish including packing and unpacking your goods.

The contents of your kitchen cupboards and fridge are not an exception; they will do this too – so if you do need to take food with you to the new property, it can be easily arranged.

However, this doesn’t apply to those relocating overseas. Keep in mind that if you are moving abroad that it is very unlikely you’ll be able to ship/ import any food into the destination country. To find out more customs regulations, visit our dedicated Customs Guide page which contents detailed information about more than 119 destinations.

Get your food shopping and kitchen organised before the move

Booking your removal company at least four weeks before your moving date will give you plenty of time to look at what you already have in the cupboards and hidden in the depths of the freezer.

Getting creative with dinner ideas to use up your frozen food and perishable goods can be a fun challenge while helping you to save money. For example, tuna pasta tray bakes are a good and simple way of using up bags of pasta and awkward tins of tuna. Soups and stews are other good examples of using up bits and pieces of food that you would otherwise throw away. Start to limit the food you are buying too; especially the long lasting kind. Before moving home, it is all about planning your meals and only buying food that you will definitely need.

Food Bank Donations

Food banks are a great place to start if you have food that is going to go to waste. Shockingly, one in five people in the UK live below the poverty line and nationally, food banks are stretched more than ever at the moment. With recent changes to Universal Credit, new claimants now have to wait a minimum of six weeks for their first payment. Undoubtedly these strains will carry over to the food banks. It is definitely worth heading over to a nearby supermarket or your local food bank to donate the food that may end up in the bin.

Take Food To Work

Why not use up your food and treat the office at the same time? Casserole, chilli-con-carne and various curries are easy to cook and can make use of a lot of ingredients that have been hanging around in the cupboards. Your colleagues will love this idea. Everyone likes free food right?

Have a house leaving party

Leave the neighbourhood in style and host a farewell dinner party!. Everyone loves a party, especially when it means you can save on food waste too. Stews, home-made soup, lasagne and bolognese are great things to cook that will use up ingredients when moving to the new house. And your guests will love them!

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