“We weigh food to fight food waste”: in Juliette’s fridge, 4,500 euros per month

• Name: Juliet
• Age : 32 years old
• Place of residence: Angers (Maine-et-Loire, 49)
• People living under the same roof and their age: my partner of 35 years and our 2 and a half year old daughter
• Family income: €4,500
• Monthly grocery budget: around €550
• Food Specifications: no one, we eat everything.

Regular food purchases for Juliette and her family

Every week we buy eggs for different recipes (omelettes, pancakes, cakes, etc.), chicken, which is our main source of protein, and then rice, pasta and potatoes as starchy foods.

As for vegetables, we pay attention to selecting them according to the season, to eat healthy and local, and we regularly have avocados available, as well as kiwis and bananas for dessert. In our basket we also find butter for cooking food, yogurt and compotes.

Our daughter eats what she likes. It may change from day to day but she tastes everything. We offer her varied and balanced dishes, with proteins, starches, vegetables and she loves fruit.

The brands frequented by Juliette and her family

For our food purchases, we mix driving Leclerc 2 or 3 times a month and the local market every week. We select both high-end and low-cost brands. In fact, we tested several products to find the ones we liked best.

Priority to local and seasonal products

To choose our products at the market we favor the short supply chain and seasonal fruit and vegetables. It is easy to identify local producers and we know them well. We discuss with them their way of producing, we know that they deal with chemicals only when it is necessary.

Organic is not a criterion for choice. On the contrary, we have noticed that some organic fruits expire faster and therefore we waste them. But sometimes we consume it, even if the cost is a real obstacle.

Processed side, but at a much lower cost with HelloFresh than with delivery

We like to cook together or take turns, especially meals out of the ordinary. We just tried the HelloFresh offer for a week, for six meals for Valentin and me. We selected the recipes on the hellofresh.fr website, indicating the number of people, then we received a box at home with all the ingredients and recipe cards.

It was even more pleasant to be able to have fun in the kitchen without having to worry about finding a recipe, and to eat new, quality dishes. Our best find was the Lebanese mjadra. With the grilled onions, labneh, spices, herbs, it was really good, with a prep time of just 20 minutes. It was interesting to make the flat side work, but at a much lower cost than delivery. We will repeat the experience from time to time!

Reduction of food waste and ecological considerations

For us it is very important not to waste. We weigh our food when we cook to avoid too many leftovers.

With HelloFresh it is simpler because you directly receive the ingredients in the right quantities for the recipes you are going to make, without the risk of buying too much, or foods that you will not use in the end and which will end up in the warehouse. the garbage can. And since the portions are large, when we still have leftovers, Valentin reheats them later in the week.

Let’s also start raising our daughter’s awareness with little sentences here and there about food waste (editor’s note: according to a study*, for 39% of French people it is children who waste the most at home, so it is important to start training on the topic early! ).

In addition to purchasing local and seasonal products, we have also reduced the consumption of meat and fish for ecological reasons, both in the quantity of portions and in frequency. Today we eat it in 10 out of 14 meals.

Purchasing power management

Therefore today we no longer buy red meat, also for budgetary reasons. With inflation we have limited organic products, we are paying a little more attention to prices and we are questioning the need to consume certain foods (cheeses, creams, etc.). Although personally I can’t do without cheese!

*Census study for HelloFresh conducted from June 29 to July 17, 2023 on 1,016 people representative of the French national population aged 18 years and older.