According to the United Nations, about 17% of the total global food production is wasted. Upon close inspection, 11% of this number accounts for waste in households, 5% in the food service and 2% in retail. Therefore, food waste is a crucial issue in today’s world. In this blog, I wanted to cover the relevance of food waste, ways to reduce this problem and an initiative that many stores across Canada have taken to reduce food waste!
Relevance
Food waste is an important issue throughout the world. However, a large portion of this problem is completely avoidable. When food is wasted, all of the resources that were required to place the food on the table also go to waste. For example, water, land, energy, labour, capital and more are all wasted as a result of food waste. Furthermore, the disposal of food waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions that can further contribute to climate change. According to the City of Toronto, “Canada’s 2.2 million tonnes of avoidable food waste is equivalent to 9.8 million tonnes of CO2 and 2.1 million cars on the road.” Therefore, reducing food waste and addressing this problem is vital.
Our role
There are countless sways that we can reduce this problem. Some of these include:
- Meal planning. Take a few minutes out of your week in order to plan your meals and the food you will require. During this time, check the amount of food you may have in your cupboards and refrigerator, and plan around it. Consider expiration dates and the freshness of the product.
- Shop smart. During grocery shopping, create a list of foods you require for the week beforehand. Most importantly, check the expiration dates and avoid ones that expire soon.
- Proper storage. Many of us often throw food away after it goes bad. However, storing food properly and regularly checking expiration dates can counteract this issue. By keeping your refrigerator at a good temperature, properly maintaining the humidity of certain foods and freezing a few items, we can increase shelf life and prevent them from going bad.
- Use it. Conduct some of your own research and find ways to use leftovers and parts of food that are often disposed. For example, by soaking wilted vegetables like celery, lettuce and broccoli in cold water for 5-10 minutes, we can restore some of their freshness. Secondly, using fruits and vegetables in smoothies or in other baked goods is a great way to use them before they go bad. In addition, pickling vegetables will allow them to last for longer periods of time and still remain tasty. Therefore, finding ways to use leftovers and food that is past their prime will further prevent them from ending up as waste.
- Be mindful. Whether you are eating at home or out, take a portion of food that you will be able to finish. You can always hep yourself to seconds or thirds, however, it is important to take an amount of food that you can finish. Therefore, think before you serve yourself and be mindful of food waste.
- Most importantly, think before you throw. While mouldy food should most certainly be thrown out, foods that are a little older may still be good to eat. For example, while some vegetables may wilt after a few days, they can still be used to make delicious dishes. Therefore, before throwing food away, think about it. Do you really need to throw it away, or can it it be used in some way?
Too Good to Go
Now that we’ve covered ways that you can help with food waste, let’s discuss what stores around Canada are doing to counteract this issue. Countless stores in Canada have joined a movement that aims to reduce food waste caused by restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores. Too Good To Go is a mobile app that allows users to purchase bags of mystery food items that would have otherwise ended up as waste. While the food is still good to eat, it can be purchased at a third of its regular price. In addition, the company helps support the Calgary Food Bank by allowing users to donate through the app. All of the donation money goes towards helping the Food Bank. Therefore, while all of us have a part to play in reducing food waste, there are countless initiatives already taking place around us!
That’s it! While food waste is an issue that must be addressed today, there are countless ways that individuals, organizations and cities can reduce this problem.