So…. What exactly is food waste, and why does it happen?
Food waste is defined as food that can be eaten but is thrown away during the retail process or after it has been bought.
Fast facts about food waste:
- Food waste accounts for about 25% of freshwater consumption in the world.
- 40 per cent of all food processed and transported in America ends up in landfills.
- About 50% of food waste in developed countries occurs at home.
- Every year, 90 billion meals of food are wasted in the U.S.
Food waste is clearly a major problem at a global level. By recognising and addressing our own food waste, we can reduce landfill use, save money, and lower methane emissions.
What are the most common sources of food waste among food bloggers?
Food is wasted at all stages of the food supply chain: production, storage, transportation, retail, and even at home. Food bloggers can reduce food waste by purchasing local food and developing recipes that use fewer animal products.
Food bloggers are more likely than average home cooks to waste food because they test and prepare recipes more often.
Learn more about reducing food waste and how to live sustainably.
Listen to this podcast!
Reduce food waste in the kitchen.
Plan, plan, plan.
It may seem simple, but meal planning and using a grocery shopping list are essential to reducing the amount of excess food in your home. To avoid overspending, include quantities on your shopping list. Always check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer before you head to the store!
Try to choose recipes that have similar ingredient lists when deciding which ones you will develop each week. This way, you won’t waste any ingredients. Looking for inspiration to create a new recipe. You can use up ingredients that you have in your pantry before they spoil. Plan a recipe using foods that are close to expiring. Or store them in the freezer.
Shop differently.
Buy Ugly
Next time you’re at the farmers market or grocery store, consider buying “ugly” products. A grocery store might reject apples that are “misshaped”, potatoes with blemishes or oranges that are “too small” because they do not meet their standards.
Imperfect Foods, Hungry Harvest and other companies that deliver groceries can also be great choices for providing food that would otherwise go to waste.
Bulk bins for bulk shopping
To reduce packaging, buy nuts, seeds and whole grains in bulk at your local grocery store. You can also purchase the exact amount of fried fruit you need for your recipe.
Don’t sleep on frozen products.
When possible, use frozen fruit and vegetables in your recipes. They are less likely to go bad than fresh produce.
Frozen food is more nutritious than fresh food, as it is frozen right after harvesting, helping preserve vitamins and minerals.
Rethink your storage strategy.
Do you know that dates such as “best by,” “sell by,“ and “use by“ have nothing to do with food safety? Labels can lead to food waste because the consumer does not understand their meaning.
The “Best If Used By/Before Date“ indicates the date when a product is at its best in terms of flavour or quality. This is not an expiration date or a safety date.
The “Sell By“ date tells the store how long it can display the product in the store for inventory management. It is not a date for safety.
The “Use By“ date is the date by which the product should be used at its peak. This is not a safety warning, except when it’s used for infant formula […].
If the product is stored properly, it should be safe until spoilage becomes evident. This does not apply to infant formula […].
You can also reduce the amount of food you waste by using a kitchen scale. Follow the “First In, First Out Strategy.“ Organize your pantry and fridge so that older foods are in the front and the newest foods are in the back.
It will help you to use older ingredients before they spoil. Labelling and dating food in the fridge and freezer can help you avoid waste.
You can use, freeze, compost or remove produce that is starting to age or spoilage. Why? The gas released by decaying produce can accelerate the ripening process of nearby produce!
P.S. This guide to storing fruit and vegetables is a useful tool that can help you extend the life of your produce.
Peeler down
There are some simple changes you can make to your produce when you prepare it to reduce food waste.
- You’ll waste less asparagus if you don’t “snap“ the stalks. Instead, feel each stalk to determine where it becomes tender.
- Remove the core from tomatoes and strawberries rather than the entire top.
- You can use it straight from the freezer if you freeze it.
- Don’t peel carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, plums, or apples. Instead, use a coconut fibre vegetable scrubber and eat the peels.
- The broccoli stalks and parsley stems are also edible. As are the beet stems, celery leaves and kale stems. These ingredients are used in a variety of recipes!
- Save vegetable scraps, e.g. those asparagus bottoms, carrot peels, leek or fennel tops, parsley stems, mushroom stems, onion skins, etc) for homemade vegetable stock.
Nobody’s perfect…
Don’t throw away leftover food even if you have done everything possible to avoid food waste. Have you ever tried composting your food waste?
Composting is a process that recycles food scraps and yard debris by letting them decompose into a mixture rich in nutrients. Compost can be used to add back into soil, helping it retain moisture and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
Composting at home keeps food scraps from landfills. Composting at home reduces methane emissions and your carbon footprint.
Are you interested in learning more about composting? Then, this step-by-step composting guide is for you!
