It’s no news that as a society we waste a lot of food and drink.

In the UK alone, 15 million tonnes are wasted annually in the food chain and about 41 million tonnes of food are purchased. This means that the quantity wasted in the supply chain is equivalent to about 1/3 of the food bought. Households produce half of all waste and an incredible 4.1m tonnes are avoidable. The cost for all this avoidable waste is astonishing £12.5 billion per year.

But why do we waste this much and what are the underlying reasons?

We live in an over-consuming western world where convenience plays a growing part in choosing what, where and how to eat and drink.

This can be seen in the rise of overly processed foods, ready meals and order-in meals that are more suitable for a busy modern lifestyle. Did you know that consumers in the UK buy more ready-made meals than any other major European country?

This intense focus on convenience is diminishing our understanding of food and drink; what we do know comes from a printed label rather than a trusted voice. This again creates a disconnection between food, cooking and people, having a serious effect on both our wallet and our health. Poor ingredients and food preparation knowledge leads to 14% of the average household shopping bill going to waste. Additionally, the resultant health implications contribute to the fact that 62% of the UK population is overweight.

How can we regain a connection to our food while managing our busy modern lives in the most convenient way? The answer will be worth our health, money and happiness.

Oystein Mojord

Chef & Yöung is a Scandinavian pro kitchen gear brand for adventurous chefs and foodies. Everything started when the Norwegian chef, Oystein, travelled around the world and noticed that there was a high demand for quality chefs in the kitchens; meanwhile his colleagues were constantly switching jobs. He decided something had to be done and Chef & Yöung was born to bring in a new attitude among yöung chefs and promote cooking as a lifestyle. Oysterin co-owns Chef & Yöung with Mattias Nordlander who focuses on the sales, marketing and finance side of the business.