25 TIPS TO REDUCE WASTE AND PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT
How to minimise and/or prevent waste?
1) Do not be fooled by the flashy posters
“Buy-one-get-one-free” or “buy-more-for-this-price”, especially if you know you will not eat it all. Plus, if you look closely you may even pay more if taking the deal. Some promotions, which include buy-3-for-the-price-of-2 or buy-two-for-that-much, cost more if you had taken one single item.
2) Do not go shopping on an empty stomach (or starving), you will only be tempted to buy way too much and of the things you do not need. Food you probably won’t even eat later.
3) Make a list before you go shopping and stick to it.
Sometimes, you may pass in an aisle and realise you forgot something, that is fine, but if this happens to the point of filling your trolley, then distraction is obviously an issue.
4) Buy what you need.
The 5 kg bag of carrots may be cheaper than a bunch but will you eat the whole bag? Are you really saving money if you waste most of it? It is clear that fresh food waste is the issue for it is a lot more consequent than long-life and non-perishable items, and I am all for stocking up at home and avoid trips to the shop for the same things you use a lot in cooking. For example, if you use some spices more than other, buying in bulk makes sense. So buy fresh food according to how you are going to use it. Batch cooking is another advise I give in practice and as a cooking teacher, for it is cheaper, convenient and less time consuming. But if you have no means to store and keep the raw ingredients or the prepared food then there is no point to it.
5) Do not buy in packs.
Instead buy loose items. This is the perfect opportunity for you to reconnect with food. Touching and using your sensing is the key to a healthier lifestyle. Being completely disconnected, by simply picking up a pack of apples and throwing it in your shopping trolley, thinking — or not thinking at all, which is even worse — it grows on shop shelves is just wrong. You cannot enjoy food this way and expect that food to make you happy and healthy, and plastic-wrapped food is most certainly not the solution. If you buy in packs, because there are several of you in the household, then unpack all items upon arrival and allow for the food to breathe (unless, it is bagged salad). This will prevent much rapid spoilage.
6) Buy ethical and “healthier” options.
By improving your diet and “upgrading” your food sourcing, you may realise that you pay a little more for your groceries and, therefore, be less tempted to waste food. Go for Demeter certified (biodynamic), you will do a lot of good for your body, the environment and your wallet. Plus, you will participate in a fair pay for farmers and contribute to a better and kinder control of stocks/crops, and prevent soil depletion and poisoning of our rivers and water system, and sweet water (and sea) fish extermination.
7) Do not be mean!!!
Wonky fruits and vegetables need some love too. You cannot dismiss them or be horrified. They are not the hunchback of Notre-Dame. They are food and taste as delicious as their straight counterparts, if not better.
8) Take your time.
If you go shopping in a rush, you will probably buy more junk than you should, simply because you had no time to register what you were buying. It is when you have time to breathe that you will realise most of the food you will not eat or waste. Make reading labels one of your favourite pass-time.
9) Read the labels.
Make a point at reading the labels in store and not at home, once it is too late. You may find that you are allergic to one ingredient or that you do not eat at all, or that you were not aware that such ingredient or additive, or preservative, or other non-food stuff were present in the recipe, and you may not be inclined to take another trip to the shop and explaining why you are retuning it, and instead, you bin it, untouched.
10) Check the use by date.
If you are not going to eat some of the food straight away opt for the most extended use by date. It may be at the back of the shelf but the reward will be plenty by simply not wasting that food. Also be aware that “use by date” and “best before” are not the same. Use by date means that the produce is safe to eat before than… Best before means that the nutritional value or taste of the food may be optimal before that date. A yoghurt, for example, may still be safe to eat 3 weeks after is best before date. Use your senses to judge if the food is off or not.
Bread that is stale can be used to make breadcrumbs or delicious bread and butter puddings or even French toasts. Possibilities are endless, and obviously, there is no need for food to be wasted. In France, it is a crime to bin bread.
Dairy products (including milk and cheeses) can be frozen before they go off. Cut your cheese in portions or grate it before freezing, it will be easier to defrost only what you need.
An overripe avocado makes amazing guacamole. Add a little lemon juice and chilli powder for a lovely kick. Soft tomatoes make wonderful salsa. “Sad” tomatoes, peppers and cucumber can all be mixed together to make a fabulous gazpacho.
11) First in last out.
When you come back from the store, always place the freshest ingredients at the back of the fridge or cupboard. This is valid for the produce you may already have on your shelves but it is the same with potatoes and other vegetables that you probably keep in a basket. Empty the basket first of the older vegetables or fruits and then place the ones you have just bought. Replace the older stock on top. This will prevent the older, bottom food to rot while the one on top still looks fresh.
12) A Little fungus won’t kill you.
We are surrounded and live in a world of bacteria and fungi. They are even inside of us and some are “our friends” and we should not be scared of them. Antibacterial are one of the most disruptive chemical in our homes. If you see a steak with a green layer on it, then please, do throw it away as it is no longer safe to eat. But a little white fungus growing on the top of your jam, honey or maple syrup, is not as bad, and it is a sign that the produce is alive. Just use a spoon and scoop it out. The taste won’t be altered nor will you be sick by using it. Use your senses to make a decision.
13) Watch out!
If you are cooking, you should send good vibes into the process. Bear with me. This makes sense.
Let me explain.
If you are heavily preoccupied, doing other things or stressed (or full of anger), you may not concentrate on what you are doing and you may burn food preparations, or drop the pan on the floor, leading to the waste of a complete dish. Put love and passion in cooking, even if it is cooking for yourself. Your brain expect stimulation from the food you are about to eat and joy from eating. If your emotions are in the way, they may disrupt your brain expectations and lead to a stress response, and as such not only will you have wasted your food, but it is quite likely that your body will be unable to digest and even assimilate the key nutrients from that food.
14) Be kind.
Give extra produce or unwanted food to food banks. Many apps allows you to give-away unwanted foods (opened or not) to your neighbours or people in your borough.
15) Place your bottles and jars upside down.
Wasting a tablespoon (or more) at the bottom of a bottle and throwing it away adds up to a full bottle pretty quickly, especially if you buy these items very often.
16) Wash it out.
As soon as you unpack your groceries, divide the fresh stuff from the long-life. Store away the non-perishables and fill your sink with water and a little bicarbonate. Dip your fruits and vegs for at least 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry, if necessary. By doing so you can check food for blemish and make a point at eating them first. You will also remove some of the agents that may spoil food faster, although it is not necessary to do so for root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, as you will peel them, and it would be a waste of water. By also keeping an eye on the food stored in your home you are able to see what food may go off and eat it before it does. A dirty fridge or storage space may lead to food spoilage and unwanted waste, so make sure to clean them regularly/often.
17) Do not fall for the marketing campaign.
Try a new product first before buying in bulk, as you — or everyone in your household — may not like it.
18) Pack your food carefully.
Not only suppliers and supermarket shelf-fillers are throwing food in and out of trucks, in shop’s baskets or on shelves, and it is quite understandable (to some extent) because it is their job (a bit like baggage handlers at airports) and they are completely disconnected from what they are actually doing. A bit like going to the doctor, waiting 45 minutes and 5 minutes in the consultation you are given a prescription with your doctor asking only a couple of generic questions, and nothing to do with your food intake or lifestyle choices. You were a number, a patient, and no longer a human being. So when it is your turn to handle the food you will eventually eat, place it carefully in your shopping trolley. Then pack it neatly in your bags, placing the heavy stuff at the bottom and the fragile on top. If you are driving, tie the bags so that the food won’t spill out and move around at every corner.
19) Do not waste on purpose.
Taking off the crust from a slice of bread makes no sense. Perhaps, the crust is not the issue, but the bread. Then buy real bread instead of sliced bread (which is also packed with so many unpronounceable (non-food) ingredients). Go for a sourdough bread and you will only be too happy to eat the crispy crust. Use a peeler to peel a potato instead of a knife, so that you do not waste as much. Buy organic or biodynamic fruits and you won't need to peel them at all (soak them in water with a little bicarbonate beforehand). Plus, you won’t loose the most nutritious parts of these fruits and vegetables, situated right below the skin, where also some of the worse pesticides tends to accumulate in mass-farming.
20) Compost as much as you can.
Most households in the UK have a back garden or have a compost bin for collection by councils, so there is no excuse not to compost leftovers or uneaten food. If you live in a residence and there is no alternatives, contact your council and ask for the location of the nearest composting plant. It may be closer than you think. Local and communal gardens would be only too pleased to receive compostable foods. Check with your council or social media platforms for communal garden addresses. Recycle your tea bags, not by throwing the bag itself (most often than not made of plastic) but by emptying the content directly in your composting bin.
21) Label correctly.
How many times have you opened your freezer and looked at some of the content and had not a clue what it was, so you kept it there hoping that by some divine intervention you will remember, but the moment never came and you just thrown it away because you have kept if for far too long? Label your food, especially meal preparations as clearly as possible. The same applies for food placed in the fridge. If they do not have a date (e.g. you have removed the packaging), write the date you bought the produce somewhere visible, and date any homemade preparations. You may not forget you have a piece of cooked salmon in your fridge but you may forget about a sauce, a dressing, a soup, custard leftover from a party or sides from the Sunday roast…
Also make sure to keep an eye on your fridge temperature. A fully-stocked fridge requires a much lower temperature setting than a nearly empty fridge. Food should ideally be stored at a temperature between 1-4˚c (more info: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/chill-fridge-out). If the back of your fridge tends to accumulate ice, then do not push any food against it, as it will freeze. Instead, place drinks and other items that may not be damaged by ice build up.
Ice collecting at the back of your fridge is either an indication that your appliance is not energy-efficient (or a much older model without anti-freeze function) or that the door remains open for too long or that it is never quite shut properly.
22) Say what?
You never eat leftovers. Well, it is time to change habits that have no sane reasoning. This attitude is one of the main causes of household food waste and is, in no way, acceptable. Rich or poor, leftovers always taste better the next day, and are EDIBLE FOODS, no matter how you put it. If you are grimacing right now, you know what I am talking about. Go on, a fork at a time. Yesterday’s meal is not going to kill you. Designate a visible space in your fridge for leftovers, so you always see them and they don’t get pushed to the back and forgotten after a few days. You can also freeze your leftovers if you do not want to make two consecutive meals out of it or create a new recipe using your leftovers (https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com)
23) Make it real.
if you really want to know how much food you are wasting. Try to keep a log of the food you have purchased, cooked, and binned for about a month. That way you are able to pinpoint the best way to tackle waste and in which areas you need to cut back on.
24) Volunteer, support or donate to charities and food banks.
This could help you see how much food would otherwise be wasted and how some charities are making a stand in the fight against food waste. Being considerate but also involved is the best cure against waste. Do not only give money if it is an excuse to waste food and lift up the guilt that comes from wasting. Find a FoodCycle project in your areas (https://www.foodcycle.org.uk/who-we-are/locations/?location)
25) Measure your portions.
Only cook what you need and portion accordingly. There is no point cooking a lot if you are cooking for a single meals and wasting the rest. If you are baking, follow the recipe as told. This will take away the guesswork and favour a better result. If you have failed to reproduce the recipe, look for a new inventive way to use your creation (unless cremated, of course). Think Eaton mess or other dessert of the sort. It should look messy so do not worry too much if it is not the 3-layer cake you planned on doing. If you insist on baking another cake, keep the damage goods to make the trifle the next day.
A final word:
Since petrol prices rocketed to absurd levels, the price of foods (and any other consumer things, including disproportionates rent and house prices) has followed the same trend; however, the price of a barrel has fallen sharply (not so long ago), and yet food prices are still on the rise, and it cost more and more to buy the same food, than let's say a year ago, way more than five years ago indeed.
It is because of inflation one may say...
Well, in part. Sure. But food is one of the things in life we cannot live without and everyone must make a living, especially in our capitalism-governed society, and we, the consumers, are here to pay the price.
Considering how much more you have to pay to fill up your basket, are you really sure you want to continue on wasting food, therefore, your money?
Also, it may be useful to remember that by wasting food you are also discarding a lot of nutrition.
Since, malnutrition is back in the Western World, not only because of a restricted access to food but mainly because of inappropriate dieting, especially amongst the health-conscious community, perhaps, it is now the time to re-evaluate our priorities.