Most of our leftover food waste ends up in combustion centers or fills up the landfills. It may sound like an exaggeration, but sadly it is the reality. Food waste is a larger mess than it seems, and we practice it daily without blinking an eye.
If the words seem a bit off, the numbers will alarm you. According to olioex.com, globally, food worth $1 trillion is wasted annually. The one billion people who go to bed hungry could survive on less than a quarter of the food wasted in the US, UK, and Europe. It is high time to realize your contribution to this inhumane nature.
Contents
The Menace
It is not just about throwing the food you bought with your money into the dustbin. It is about throwing away the months of hard work put in by the farmer and the painstaking labor efforts of the middlemen and ignoring the countless hunger pangs of the weak who scavenge through your roots. That is the moral part of it. But it doesn’t end there; the food that is rotting in the landfills is choking the earth. It is consuming too much water, oxygen and filling up the air with methane. Food waste amounts to 30% of the emission of greenhouse gas.
What You Will Gain
Money is the first thing you can tick on your checklist—the money you spent buying it and the gas you waste on cooking. Second, you will have a sense of moral responsibility towards the people. Third, you’ll be a comrade in saving our planet from the inevitable.
Measures You Can Practice
Be Grateful
A saying goes, if you are grateful, you’ll think twice before taking things for granted. A gracious mind helps you be thankful for the food and bite into your conscience to waste the food on your plate.
Buy Wisely
Buying your food wisely will save you time and money, along with preventing the wastage of food.
- Shop for groceries weekly. This will bring fresh food to your table and prevent you from stocking things that may eventually go bad.
- Make a list. This will put the focus on what you need to buy instead of what you can buy.
- Check before you go out to buy. List things that you have and buy things you need for the week. Don’t keep in stock of things that go bad for long. Foods like leafy greens go bad if refrigerated for too long. Make sure you have eaten most of the veggies in your fridge before buying more.
- Don’t go by the looks. Foods that may not be in perfect shape are still perfectly fine for consumption.
Plan Your Meals
Planning your meals will give you a heads-up on what you need and what you want to eat for the week. Doing this will ensure you don’t spend your money on things you will not eat. This will also help you stick to a healthy and nutritious diet.
Store The Food
Each food product, whether processed or not, comes with a life-span. The way you store your food can dramatically impact the shelf-life of the products. Refrigerate things at their optimum temperature and learn how to best store your food to maximize its shelf-life.
You can also freeze or preserve extra food. Pickling, dehydrating, and canning are some of the old-school ways to store excess food.
If you have food that you are not planning to eat, you can ask someone to finish it or give it to someone before throwing it into the garbage. This kindness will help you in the long run and also be a helping hand to the people in need.
Make A Compost
As a last measure, if you have no other option but to waste it, then make a compost out of it and feed your plants instead of leaving them to fill up the land space.
Conclusion
There is a golden rule that says, take as much food as you need onto your plate and finish everything you take. Use some of these tips to help avoid excess food waste. Not only will this help the environment, but you will save money and time by shopping for only what you need.
