New app pairs food with ‘soilmates’ to help combat waste

The dating-inspired tool matches fruit and veg that would otherwise be thrown away 

Swipe right - a new tool is helping the nation to combat food waste by finding 'soilmates' for their leftover veg. The site lets people choose the unwanted vegetables sitting in their fridge drawers and produces tasty and waste-free recipe suggestions which put them to good use. It comes as a study of 2,000 adults found a fifth consider themselves a ‘fruit and veg snob’, with 21 per cent admitting they even discard certain items because of how they look - despite being edible. The average person throws away 10 per cent of fruit and veg away each week despite nearly a third (29 per cent) of their bill going on these items during their typical weekly food shop. Oddbox, which is passionate about fighting food waste, created the dating inspired tool to rescue and match lonely fruit and veg together, and inspire adults to get creative in the kitchen. Heather Lynch, head of impact for the fruit and veg delivery company, which also commissioned the study, said: "We want to change the destiny of thousands of vegetables, to help fight food waste and create tasty plates of food in the process. “Not knowing what to do with leftover vegetables, or a lack of inspiration to turn them into delicious meals is one of the most common causes of food waste at home. “‘Soilmates’ gives people the help they need to fight food waste in a fun and engaging way.” [caption id="attachment_377295" align="alignnone" width="5287"] SWNS[/caption] Salad leaves, cucumber and tomatoes are among the most common items to be discarded with 38 per cent doing so as a result of them going out of date faster than they expected. Nearly a sixth (15 per cent) only need to use a few products but can’t help that they come in a multipack – leading them to discard the not needed - while 28 per cent simply forget they are in the fridge. But encouragingly, only 12 per cent admit to buying things when they know it’s more than likely they won’t get eaten. Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) of those who do this claim the intentions are there while 47 per cent just want to appear healthy. Shamefully, 36 per cent only buy these healthy foods because they want their fridge to look colourful. Of all those polled in the OnePoll study, making soup (43 per cent) was the most popular option for what to do with any ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables while 23 per cent prefer to turn them into smoothies. When thinking of the fruit and veg most likely to be uneaten, 28 per cent would refuse an artichoke and 21 per cent would turn their nose up at an avocado. Strawberries were voted the nation’s favourite food with potatoes, bananas and mushrooms following closely behind. More than half (53 per cent) admit they need to eat more fruit and veg than they currently do as 55 per cent say they want more variety when it comes to their overall diet and meal planning. Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) are guilty of often repeating the same recipes each week with 21 per cent saying they lack creativity in the kitchen. However, 42 per cent don’t let innovation issues get in the way and will typically try to find a substitute if they are missing an ingredient. Oddbox is working with internet sensation and food-waste disruptor, Martyn Odell - otherwise known as ‘Lagom Chef’ - to demonstrate how easy it is to use up unwanted vegetables. Martyn Odell said: “The new ‘Soilmates’ tool is an amazing way to reduce food waste and get people experimenting with fruits and vegetables they haven’t tried before. “For example, something like beetroot isn’t on many people's weekly food shop, but there are many ways to use them, from soups to salads, and ‘Soilmates’ will provide people with a range of recipes if they are unsure what to do.” Related links: 

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