Families waste 1000 a year by dumping food

A quarter of all the food we buy ends up being thrown out, Sian Breslin, founder of Siansplan website, told those attending an event on preventing food waste through meal planning.

“This is costing the average household between €700 and €1,000 per year,” said Ms Breslin in Mullingar Library, as she gave advice on the benefits of meal planning and healthy eating, as well as healthy alternatives to jars and bottles of convenience food.

Sian, a former home economics teacher with 25 years’ teaching experience, is co-founder of siansplan.com. She now runs her own cookery school, specialising in helping home cooks organise healthy, delicious meals seven days a week, without spending a fortune.

Ruth Maxwell, Environment Department of Westmeath County Council, said that the event is part of the ‘Stop Food Waste Challenge’ that started last November, in which community groups came together and successfully reduced their weekly food waste from 23kg to 10.8kg.

A further talk by Sian Breslin will be held in Athlone on a date to be confirmed.