How much food does an average family waste?

An average household throws away roughly CA$1,500 of food a year. Most of it is food that was bought but never used before it spoiled — which is exactly what planning around your fridge prevents.

Does meal planning actually reduce food waste?

Yes, when the plan starts from what you already have rather than from a blank recipe search. Planning around your existing ingredients and expiry dates means you cook what you've bought and shop only for the gaps, so less is thrown away.

How do I use up leftovers before they go bad?

Keep one flexible 'clear-out' meal each week — fried rice, soup, a frittata or a traybake all absorb odds and ends — and cook whatever is closest to expiring first.

How to Reduce Food Waste With a Weekly Meal Plan

Most wasted food is bought and never used. A plan that starts from your fridge fixes that.

Short answer: plan the week around what you already have and what's expiring first, shop only for the gaps, and keep one flexible "clear-out" meal. An app like MealPill automates it — it plans from your fridge, tracks expiry, and lists only what you're missing.

Why households waste food

An average family throws away roughly CA$1,500 of food a year. The pattern is almost always the same: food gets bought, pushed to the back of the fridge, and spoils before anyone cooks it. The fix isn't buying "better" — it's planning around what you already own.

The five levers that actually cut waste

Plan around what you have — start from your fridge, not a blank recipe search.
Cook what's expiring first — track dates and prioritize them.
Shop only for the gaps — a list of just what's missing stops overbuying.
Keep a weekly "use-it-up" meal — fried rice, soup, frittata or traybake absorb leftovers.
Store food properly — the right storage buys you extra days.

A weekly anti-waste routine

Check what's expiring this week.
Build the plan around those items first.
Add one or two more meals around what else you have.
Make a grocery list of only what's missing.
Keep one flexible "clear-out" night.

Let an app do it

MealPill is built around this routine. You add what's in your fridge and it estimates expiry dates, plans your week around what you have, lists only what's missing, and flags waste-risk items in weekly insights (nutrition, variety, waste and budget). It works in English, Ukrainian and Russian; a shared Family plan is coming.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best app to reduce food waste?

Apps that plan around what you already have. MealPill plans from your fridge and flags waste-risk items; Samsung Food (paid) can suggest recipes from a photo of your ingredients.

Does meal planning really reduce waste?

Yes — when the plan starts from your existing ingredients and expiry dates, so you cook what you bought and shop only for the gaps.

How do I use up leftovers?

Keep one flexible "clear-out" meal a week and cook what's closest to expiring first.