Food takes up an increasingly important place in our priorities and also in the budget. According to the Edenred's FOOD 2026 barometer, carried out in collaboration with Hostelería de España and the Spanish Foundation for Nutrition, One in four Spaniards already spends more than 30% of their income on food. Despite that pressure, only 23% would be willing to reduce this spending.
The data reflects how much the shopping basket weighs on the household economy, but it also shows the importance we attach to what we eat. 88% of the people surveyed pay attention to following a balanced diet., and the 85% hopes to find a healthier offer when you eat out. Eating well has ceased to be an occasional aspiration to become a Everyday expectation.
However, taking care of your diet does not only consist of choosing healthy products; it also involves thinking about how to prepare them. How we buy, store and use food. Every product that ends up in the trash represents a loss of economic value and a waste of resources such as water and energy. That is why combating it is essential. Food waste It is a way to take care of your pocketbook and move forward. more sustainable consumption.
When we think of food waste, we often imagine leftover food on the plate or products in poor condition at the bottom of the fridge. But the problem usually starts much earlier: in a Buying without planning, in a promotion that encourages us to consume more than we need or in the difficulty of calculating How much we will consume during the week.
The way in which We organized the refrigerator. If the freshly purchased food remains in front of us and the ones we need to consume first are hidden in the back, it’s easy to forget about them. poor conservation It can shorten its lifespan, while a Overly optimistic planning (the thought that we will cook every day or that we will prepare more meals than we actually will be able to) can end up with unused ingredients.
Understanding these causes allows us to move from guilt to action. Waste is not reduced by a single decision; rather, it is achieved by making purchasing, preparing, and consuming options more conscious and realistic.
Technology can also help prevent waste. At home, food planning and management applications They can be used to record what we have, to alert us to what is best to consume first, and to suggest recipes based on the ingredients available.
The Smart home appliances They can provide functions such as registering products or remembering dates. However, their usefulness depends on the information being up-to-date and the technology being easy to use.
In the Retail trade and catering, Data analysis can help predict demand and adjust purchases to sales patterns, the season, or local circumstances. If a business estimates better what products it will need, it can reduce the risk of accumulating inventory that it won’t be able to sell. inventory monitoring It also allows you to detect more quickly which products are nearing their expiration date and prioritize their use or sale.
Technology can also improve the Monitoring of storage and transport conditions. Controlling aspects such as temperature and humidity helps detect incidents and prevent products from deteriorating before they reach their destination. In distribution routes, more efficient planning can reduce time and costs, and contribute to better preserving food.
When a significant portion of income is spent on food, throwing away products that are not consumed means losing money that could have been used in other ways.
When choosing where to eat, consumers also combine different priorities. According to the FOOD 2026 Barometer, the quality-price ratio It is crucial for 90% of the people surveyed, the proximity for the 88%th and the acceptance of Ticket Restaurant for the 84%th. The decision to eat out is therefore related to cost, convenience, and the available offerings.
In this context, Facilitating access to balanced meals during the day and reducing waste are objectives that can be mutually reinforced.. An attractive offer that is tailored to people’s needs contributes to making the experience of dining out more satisfying, and better planning by establishments can, in turn, help manage resources more efficiently.
Food waste can occur at any stage, from production to consumption in the home. Reducing it requires the collaboration of everyone and technology can help connect the supply with the demand. With more informed and conscious daily decisions, it is possible to manage the budget, make better use of food, and reduce the environmental impact.
Content and marketing specialist committed to putting people at the heart of the workplace. I am passionate about working in a sector where content can contribute to improving working conditions and the well-being of professionals. My approach combines creativity and strategy to communicate messages that truly impact and connect with the audience's needs.
