Hey earth muffins! A few weeks ago I got an email from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) regarding a Food Matters Action Kit that they launched in September. This kit contains activities for kids and youth centered around spreading awareness of food waste. Such a great idea! π As many holidays are coming up (especially Thanksgiving next week!), I thought I would share their tips on how to reduce food waste in your home. While these tips are important to think about always, they are especially important to think about with holidays centered around food.
Why is Food Waste so Important?
For starters, ONE THIRD of the food produced in the world is wasted. π¦ This statistic absolutely blew my mind – that’s so much food that could be utilized. This wasted food produces about 193 million tons of greenhouse gases; that’s the same amount as driving 41 million cars continuously throughout the year! So, it’s clear that wasted food is definitely a problem… What can you do to reduce it?
1. Plan out your meals
Instead of hitting up the grocery store and buying what looks good, plan out your meals for the week! I personally do this every single Sunday. π My boyfriend and I have a cute menu letterboard in our kitchen, which also helps us keep to our planned out meals. If you don’t want to plan out all three meals each day, just try doing dinner. For lunches I usually just eat leftovers from the night before anyway, so that works out really well!
2. Shop your kitchen BEFORE the store
After you plan out your meals for the week, look through your fridge/freezer/pantry before going to the store. You might be surprised at what you already have in the cupboards! If you notice that there are things in the pantry or fridge close to their expiration date, try incorporating them into some of the meals this week.
3. Throw as little food waste in the trash as possible!
When food gets trashed, it ends up in the landfill. Instead of breaking down and producing carbon dioxide, it will create methane. Methane is 25% more potent than CO2, so it is best to avoid it as much as possible!
4. Compost instead
Composting your food is a great alternative to throwing it in the trash. Even if you live in an apartment, there are still ways that you can compost. I personally pay for a composting service to pick up my compost twice a month; I honestly can’t believe how full the bucket gets sometimes. It definitely makes me realize that food waste is a problem that many don’t even think about.
5. Keep organized
Make sure your fridge/freezer/pantry is organized and accessible. This helps you know what you already have in the kitchen. I’m sure you’ve seen someone’s fridge that is a complete disaster, so don’t be like that! π Keeping organized also helps with meal planning and making lists for the grocery store.
6. Share food
If you end up having extra food, share it with others (be safe with Mister Corona though)! Take some to work, share on sustainable apps like Olio, drop off at a friend’s house, etc. Again, make sure that you are throwing away as little food as possible!
7. Use your freezer!
This is one of my favorite ways to reduce food waste. If my boyfriend and I cook something that results in a few extra servings, I will freeze them in mason jars. When I need a quick WFH lunch, I’ll pull something out. I also like to utilize my freezer for saving fruits that are about to go bad. They are perfect for smoothies! Pro tip: when freezing cut fruits/vegetables, freeze them on a baking tray first. This makes them freeze individually so when you put them into a jar you can still pull out the exact portion you want. π
8. Learn creative cooking
When looking at the food already in your kitchen, you might be confused on what you can make with certain ingredients. Now is the time to learn how to cook with unique items! Scour Pinterest for new recipe ideas or put the ingredients into Supercook to get personalized recipes. Get out your creativity!
9. Rescue food
Don’t let perfectly good food go to waste! If you see marked down food at the grocery store because the expiration date is coming up, pick that first. Buy single bananas and stick them in the freezer. If you see food nearby on Olio, take it (if you need it of course!). Shop at food “thrift” stores if you have them nearby; I personally love my Aunt Millie’s bakery thrift store. π There are so many great ways to rescue food!!
10. Spread the word
If you are interested in sharing fun and informative food waste activites, I highly suggest checking out the CEC’s Food Matters Action Kit. It has so many great facts inside! Regardless if you use the kit or not, it is important to spread awareness on food waste this holiday season. I hope you put some of these tips into practice next week and share them with your friends and family. πβ€οΈ
Love,
Jenna β₯
Planning your meal in advance is a great way to reduce food waste.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
I totally agree, Lovely! π It is something everyone should do!
Jenna β₯
This was so helpful! Than you x
x Lisa
Thank you so much, I’m glad you found it useful! I think it is especially important information to share during the holiday season.
Jenna β₯
These are some great suggestions. We have food waste bins and that goes to compost. Thank you for sharing.
Yes – I love to hear that you are using a compost bin! Such an easy way to reduce your waste π
Jenna β₯
I love all these tips, Jenna! I have always been one to freeze extra food and not throw away, I think it’s so important to try and reduce food waste.
Samantha | samanthajblogs.co.uk
Glad to hear that you are reducing your waste, Samantha! π Food waste is such a big issue, every little thing counts!
Jenna β₯
These are all great tips! I find that planning out meals in advance makes a big difference.
It definitely does! I have also found that it makes me less stressed about what to cook for meals too π
Jenna β₯
These are such great tips! I plan our meals which helps, but I need to be better about shopping what we already have before I go to the store. I also use our freezer but could do an even better job of saving extra food!
Love that you are thinking of ways to improve reducing your food waste! π It seems like you are on the right track already!
Jenna β₯
Another way to get food to someone who can use it, or to get food you can use so it doesn’t go to waste, is your local Buy Nothing group. I joined almost a year ago and have given and received many different things, but my first was food: Someone had bought a 12-pack of individual strawberry yogurts but then found out they didn’t like that kind, so my family got 11 free yogurts that we liked just fine! At other times we’ve gotten 10 pounds of egg noodles, a half gallon of vanilla-flavored milk (I didn’t even know that was a thing, but my kids loved it!), 2 pounds of lentils, a box of raisin bran, locally grown zucchini…and also a lot of great non-food stuff, and in return we are giving away our unwanted clutter.