A common reason is that you buy and prepare too much food that then stands for several days and risks being thrown away unnecessarily.
You think the food feels stale, that it has become bad or you're tired of eating the same food for several days, says Karin Fritz at the National Food Agency.
The same problem arises in everyday life as well, but is reinforced during Christmas. The most common food items to be unnecessarily discarded are Christmas ham, herring, salmon, and other fish.
It's what's central on the Christmas table and it's hard to plan how much will be consumed, says Karin Fritz.
Planning is important
However, there are several tricks to avoid food waste.
Firstly, you need to think through whether you really need all the dishes you usually have on the Christmas table. The more dishes you have, the less you eat of each.
The risk is then greater that there will be leftover food and often you can reduce the amount of food you buy.
It's also about how you serve the food, put out a little at a time so you can refill and take care of the food in time.
Dishes usually keep for up to a week in the refrigerator at a temperature of four degrees, so not all food needs to be eaten immediately in the following days. If you freeze the food, it will also keep for much longer.
Use all your senses
Then it's about using all your senses to determine if the food can be eaten or not before it's discarded.
Look, smell, and taste. If it tastes like usual, you can eat the food.
Then you can use your imagination to make new dishes, for example, you can make a pasta gratin with the Christmas ham.
Prepared too much
Bought too much
The food feels stale
Has become bad/inedible
Tired of the same food for several days
Took too much on the plate
Source: National Food Agency
