With so many people going hungry in the U.S. (much less, worldwide), it’s shocking how much food we waste. It’s not just us, the consumers. It’s the whole food chain, from “ugly” produce left to rot in the field, to problems with transportation and storage, to foods thrown out by grocers, foodservice, etc. In fact, mre than a third of all food grown for human consumption in the U.S. is wasted, according to ReFED, a nonprofit that focuses on food waste. That’s about $ 408 billion worth of food, grown on 18% of U.S. farmland, with 4 trillion tons of water. The carbon footprint of U.S. food waste is greater than that of the airline industry! Globally, wasted food accounts for about 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions [source]. Take a moment to think of the environmental consequences of producing food that no one eats. April 22nd is Earth Day. We can each play a small part in saving our planet, starting with our kitchens. Some 37% of food waste happens in the home. Why do we waste so much food? We are personally guilty of all of the following. It’s like New Year’s resolutions. The intention is good, but the execution is not. Even if you don’t cook for a family like Mom did, you can plan your meals. One way we’ve been working on this is to shop twice a week instead of once a week, so we don’t feel pressure to buy everything at once. And when we look at that better-priced bag of 10 avocados or tangerines, we pause to think if we can commit to using them all before they go bad. If you don’t know what to do with a soft eggplant, for example, just search online. A simple test: The sniff test. Then, the taste test: Dip a finger in and taste a tiny amount. You’re likely to find a perfectly edible food. This is a really easy way to store perishables, canned goods and other foods, including those you might not think of. For example, olive oil spoils, and even vinegar will go bad over time. 6. KEEP a list of spoiled foods you’ve thrown out. We keep ours on the fridge. This can help identify certain foods that you should cut back on. 7. FREEZE foods before they spoil. We toss a lot of fresh herbs, and leftovers, into the freezer. Bread, seafood, meats and poultry, even cooked pasta can go into the fridge. Also note that some fruits give off ethylene, which makes adjacent foods spoil more quickly. Storing apples, bananas and tomatoes apart from other perishables will help keep all perishables fresher. |
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The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures
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