Food waste and how to reduce it
Food occupies a huge part in our daily lives: we eat it to stay alive and healthy, we share it with others as a form of affection, we turn it into a representation of our own culture and nation.
This is why it breaks my heart when I hear that every year one-third of food produced in the world gets wasted. Many times, this wastage occurs due to unreasonable quality standards and a lack of an organized system for food waste management.
While it would be out of my hands to transform the whole structure of the food production chain, I want to believe that change can begin from the actions of one person.
That’s why I came up with 5 simple tips one might use to reduce their food waste in their everyday life:
1. Cook yourself
Cooking is a great skill to have especially if you want to see the whole food consumption process in your house. Not only is it a good way to know what you put in your meals, but it can also open your eyes to how your food ends up in a garbage bin.
If you cook yourself, you most probably know what ingredients you bought. This knowledge can give you some control over what foods you have available and when they might expire. This way you can plan your meals accordingly to avoid food and money wastage.
Cooking also makes you appreciate food more because you see how many food scraps are being wasted every day only in your household.
2. Reuse and repurpose
I’ve already written about repurposing things that you might usually throw away to decrease the amount of waste you produce. While it may be a little harder to do with old or spoilt food, there are still many ways that you can use it.
Most milk products are really versatile — even if they turn bad, you can reincorporate them in cooking or baking. Old packets of milk, heavy cream and sour cream are perfect for making cakes or pastries.
If you have veggies that are starting to get bad, you don’t have to dispose of them fully. Cut off the spoilt pieces and make a vegetable soup, sauce or ratatouille instead. Quick tip, don’t throw away the veggie peels — you can wash them and make a delicious vegetable broth.
Reusing and repurposing give you some room to be creative and you might end up with really delicious meals.
3. Preserve
If you notice that the lifespan of your food is very short and you have to throw away many things at the end of the week, maybe it’s time to think of ways to preserve the food.
One of the ways to prolong your food life is to freeze it. This usually works with fruits, berries and vegetables (I often freeze ripe bananas and freeze them in a ziplock bag to use for my smoothies). Just make sure that you Google what foods you can freeze first to avoid any mishaps later.
Another way is to dehydrate food. This might be good if you have lots of herbs or juicy fruits like apples, apricots or grapes. You can either bake them or dry them in the sun.
You can research other different ways to prolong the shelf life of your food. E.g., salad leaves can be kept in a paper towel, whereas asparagus and celery can be stored and regrown in a glass of water.
4. Compost
After you’ve sorted out your food and stored it the right way, you can get rid of the leftovers. But don’t just throw it away in the garbage — compost it.
Many developed countries have organic bins in place and they will be turned into fertilizers. You can read more about composting and the types of items that can be composted online. I usually use the TOwaste app if I’m not sure what can go in the Green Bin.
I also recently found that it’s better to use biodegradable bags for organics because they can compost easily compared to the usual plastic bags.
5. Buy less
If you want to waste less food, you have to buy less food. It might sound a little challenging because you can’t calculate how much food you might need for the week. But there are different ways to work around that.
One of them is having a meal plan. I started doing that a couple of months ago and so far, it’s been super helpful because I know exactly what I want to eat and what ingredients I need. The plan also helps you realize that you don’t actually need that much food to survive in a week.
And once you know what dishes you’ll be making, you can create an accurate grocery list with all the items you need. Try to stick to it while shopping unless you find something that you really need that you didn’t add to your list.
Another tip that I found on the web and used many times is going shopping with a full stomach. When you’re hungry you tend to make rushed and emotional decisions and end up buying everything in the supermarket. But if you’re full, you’ll buy exactly what you need and your wallet will thank you afterwards.
For me, using food up to its maximum capacity throughout the week is a real skill. Having been raised at times of food shortages, my mom and granny would always teach me how to use food efficiently. Not only does it help you be more economical, but it also decreases the harm on our planet.
I hope these easy tips will help you be more conscious about food consumption and become more creative with your cooking.
