Dairy brand Dale Farm is shining a light on the issue of food waste to try and help consumers both save money and also ultimately reduce the amount of safe-to-eat food that ends up in household bins.

With over 3.6 million tonnes of edible food wasted every year, (enough to fill approximately 25 million wheelie bins), Dale Farm is pulling together helpful tips, recipes and meal plans to equip consumers with the knowledge and practical help to help them avoid throwing away food unnecessarily.

It is also showcasing the important work carried out by FareShare NI, a project that takes surplus, safe-to-eat food from food companies and redistributes it to community groups throughout Northern Ireland. Dale Farm has been providing fresh milk and butter, straight from production lines to FareShare, for redistribution into local communities every week since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

“Food waste has become a critical issue but it’s something we can all help play a part in tackling, by making some simple changes,” said Claire Hale, Dale Farm.

“Reducing the amount of food that we throw into the bin unnecessarily, not only helps families save money, it can also help reduce our impact on the environment. This month, Dale Farm will be launching our ‘Taste Don’t Waste’ campaign which aims to share ideas and tips with consumers about how to get the most from their food shop and kitchen cupboard items. We’ll be enlisting the help of some brilliant people from within the world of cooking, food and family blogging along the way.

“From companies in the food industry like us at Dale Farm, through to our partners in retail and all of us at home, there are ways we can help minimise waste and make good food go further,” Claire Hale said.

Throughout February, Dale Farm is partnering with award-winning Dungannon chef James Devine to develop delicious dishes that use up basic store cupboard and fridge favourites; family influencer Caroline O’Neill (@DiggMama) will be sharing her journey in trying to reduce food waste with her own family and popular Instagram cook and restaurant reviewer Belfast Food Blogger will be sharing this insights into making magnificent meals from minimal ingredients.

Follow @Dale_Farm on Instagram or visit www.dalefarmbrand.co.uk for more information.

To find out more about FareShare visit www.fareshare.org.uk