How much of your fridge contents are you going to be throwing away in a week’s time?

The likelihood is that about 22 per cent of it will go straight into the bin, according to figures released last week by the National Statistics Office.

According to a similarly themed Eurobarometer survey, the main culprits for waste are the younger generations and graduates. However, food historian Carmen Cassar believes that waste is more about upbringing than age or education.

“In the past, people had a much less affluent lifestyle than the younger generations. They used to make the best of what they had and wasted less than today, when many more material things are within reach of a much larger group of people,” he said.

Older people know the value of money and they shop sensibly and plan their meals- Gloria Mizzi

Prof. Cassar believes that the survey results showing that people with secondary education tended to waste less than those who went to university, may indicate a serious problem.

“Perhaps the education these younger people are getting is a very superficial exercise which hardly ever goes beyond textbooks or website pages. Perhaps they are working for the diploma to hang on a wall... but as we all know very well, real education goes far beyond that,” he said.

Gloria Mizzi, veteran television presenter and cookery expert, told The Sunday Times of Malta that it is innate in older people in Malta not to waste food. This, she said, is reflected in the proverb ‘Dan ħareg il-kunvent’ (‘This is what the convent is offering, you have to eat it’).

“Older people know the value of money and they shop sensibly and plan their meals; maybe they are not as adventurous with their recipes as younger generations are, but they make sure that what they cook is appreciated,” Ms Mizzi said.

She believes that people would waste must less if they paused for a second before they chucked food in the bin and thought of “a hungry child dying somewhere of hunger”.

Pauline Carabott, 54, from Qormi, has practised food-recycling all her life. She said her generation was raised on a mantra of waste not, want not.

“My mother never used to waste any food, and that was passed on to us. I hope I’m managing to pass it on to my children as no one is a winner when we waste.”

Leftovers of a rabbit dinner can easily make a good rabbit stew for lunch the next day, she said. Her top tips to reduce waste include reusing leftovers, better estimation of portion and better planning of the household shopping.

With her daughters being university graduates, she discarded the notion that the problem of waste lies in education.

“It is not about education. My children are both knowledgeable but they do not have the time to manage the food. It’s all about planning and time management,” she said, adding that the consumerist mentality of this generation does not help.

With more than a fifth of groceries ending up in the bin, the government has appointed a group of people to recommend ways to reduce the wastage of food.

How not to waste food

• Know your food waste and become aware of how much you throw away.
• Plan your weekly meals.
• Check what you have in your cupboards.
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach.
• Store the food in the right place.