Ways to reduce food waste
This week, the Natural Resources Defense Council released an article explaining how they had partnered with 14-plus cities to address food waste, and after seven years, had witnessed a marked decrease in food waste.
They are now expanding with new cities with the implementation of policies, programs, and citywide networking to reduce food waste. Back in 2015, I attended a Food Recovery Summit and at that time was introduced to the commitment made to United Nations Environment Programme by the US Department of Agriculture, Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg to reach the goal of 50% reduction of food loss by 2030.
Policies are working, programs are working, but the rest of the nation needs to get on board now that there is a proven track record of methods to reduce food waste.
Madeline Keating, city strategist and Food Matters Lead at the Natural Resources Defense Council is planning to work with cities to develop guidance and expertise in the implementation of a prevention of food waste via food rescue, food recycling and best uses practices.
One of the visuals from the 2015 Summit was that of an inverted food pyramid, a hierarchy of food. The very top, Source Reduction: reduce the volume of surplus food generated. Next smaller level down, Feed Hungry People: donate extra food to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters. Next, Feed Animals: divert food scraps to animal feed. Lower, Industrial Uses: conversions of waste oils and fats for fuels, other food scraps for digesters to recover energy, followed by composting and lastly, landfilling.
Forty-three percent of food purchased by Americans end up as wasted food. Let’s translate that in different terms: 400 pounds of food per person per year, and from a report generated in 2012, an annual loss of $218 billion countrywide (now more like $281 billion).
Another 40% of food is lost at the grocery stores, restaurants, and food service companies. There is a 16% loss at the farm level and 2% at the manufacturing level. So, as we have stated before, there is only one person that you can hold accountable for your personal food waste: You.
So, before you get all down on yourself, it is a good time (since this is still January, and you’re still in the New Year’s Resolution window) to rethink our foods. The first thing that pops into my head are the “Use By” dates on products.
In 2017, two of the largest food industry associations adopted two labels: “Best if Used By” which is used to describe quality, and “Use By” for foods that are perishable of may present food safety concerns. (Which may mean that some of the condiments that I have in my fridge are really OK).
The next item of concern for me is using the fruits and veggies that are currently in my home. Perishables make up the majority of household food losses: fruits and veggies followed by meat, poultry, fish, dairy products.
Fish and seafood are the most perishable and 31% of purchases go uneaten! Lesson here is to use what you have before shopping for more. Personally, this is the hardest when our local farmers markets begin selling beautiful, fresh, local produce…that’s my downfall, and thus, I consult Google for the potential to blanch and freeze or make into something else (soup) and freeze.
Ah, freezing and the freezer… how many of us see a great bargain at the store and buy 3? It’s all well and good if you take the time to prepare that special deal for freezer time. It ends up being wasted food if that product gets freezer burnt of dries out while awaiting consumption.
Take the time to date and label all freezer bags and containers. Utilize foods in your pantry. Even if I have a can of tomato sauce that is undented and appears fine, a 2010 date would make me leery.
Get into the habit of stock rotation. If beans or rice are on sale, get them, as their shelf life is lengthy, but put them behind the cans/bags you already have. And of course, last but not least, a compost bin is a good idea, especially for potato, onion, carrot skins, eggshells, coffee grounds, apple cores, unusable outer leaves of cabbage, etc. That compost will return nutrients to your garden soil! Next, planning for your spring garden!
Nan Kirlin is recycling coordinator for Gaston County.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Ways to reduce food waste
