THE ENVIRONMENT
Stopping Food Waste
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Each year, Americans waste 33 million tons of food according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The numbers are similar in the UK. That’s food that ends up in landfills which is causing an increase in methane emissions. But it’s not just food that goes to waste. Consider the water used to produce food and the water contained in food. That amounts in about 40 trillion liters of water wasted, which is enough for half a billion people. Considering the detriment to the environment, and the fact that 870 million people in the world are hungry, it seems we must do better.
So what can we do to waste less food? Here are some ideas:
- Fridges tend to hide a lot of food –Check your fridge weekly and bring foods that will expire soon to the front (in retail this is called stock rotation) to encourage family members to eat it, or use as ingredients in the next meal you cook. Likewise, do the same in your food cupboards regularly
- While buying in bulk can save you money, it can cost you more if you purchase items in large quantities with a short use-by date or that lose favor with your family. Only bulk purchase items you know will be consumed before the food spoils.
- Discourage “dreg- ignorance”. In many cupboards and fridges, it’s not unusual to find packets of chips with just a handful left, or just a swallow of orange juice left in the container. It usually sits there until it’s thrown out. Implement a strict “No Dregs Left Behind!” policy for
your home.
- Supermarkets are designed with one thing in mind – to get you buying more than what you originally came in for. Resist impulse buying as the extras you purchase will only be tacked onto the list of what you need rather than replacing an item, so the risk is something will be wasted as a result.
- Don’t shop from memory. This results in buying too much of one thing and not enough of another – and waste sometimes occurs.
- Consider planning meals well in advance. This way you can ensure you have the ingredients you need on hand and can reduce superfluous spending and waste.
- Improper storage generates massive amounts of food waste. Leaving packets open, refrigerating stuff that doesn’t require it and vice versa, rapidly speeds up food spoilage. Ensure you have the right tools for the job
such as airtight containers etc. It’s worth spending a bit of money on proper storage containers as cheap ones simply won’t last the distance, adding more waste to food