Jun 2019: Food Waste
- Kaili Brande
- Jun 16, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2022
Happy Summer to you all! Let me ask a question: do you love food? Let me ask a second question: do you like the environment? (I would hope the second answer is yes since you’re reading this blog). ;)
If the answer to both of those questions is YES, hooray! These two things are intimately linked, and I want to share with you how we can enjoy food while still respecting the environment and living sustainably.
The production of food, as you probably know, is a huge part of the global economy and a huge use of resources, and therefore has the potential to produce a huge environmental impact. While producing food for people is critical and necessary for our society, sometimes some of that food doesn’t actually reach a person's stomach. Instead, the food is wasted. This can happen during several stages of The Food Life Cycle (see below):
squished/contaminated/ruined during Production, Processing, or shipping (Distribution)
not purchased at the grocery store (Retail) and thrown away
not eaten out of someone’s fridge (Consumption) and thrown away
As you can see from the image above, food can make its way into the Disposal/Recovery stage (trash can icon) from any stage in the life cycle. While food may rarely be recovered, our goal as sustainable consumers is to reduce how much of that food is disposed of.
While preventing food waste might seem like a good idea, it may not cross your mind as the most urgent environmental issue. However, the problem is greater than it seems. About 1/3 of the entire food produced globally each year is lost or thrown away. In a recent National Public Radio (NPR) story, one speaker painted the picture drastically: “just imagine walking into your favorite grocery store, buying three bags of grocery and, as you walk out, you throw one of those bags in the garbage can. Sounds ridiculous, but in essence, that's what's happening every day across the country”. In addition, 25% of the freshwater supply in the world is used to grow food that NEVER gets eaten. Furthermore, if food waste were its own country, it would be the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases (after China and the U.S., of course). Food waste is therefore a major contributor to climate change, through the release of methane, carbon dioxide, and other gases when the food rots in a landfill. (Methane and carbon dioxide are two of the major greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.)
If this isn’t enough to alarm you, we waste a considerable amount of money in the U.S. when we buy food and don’t use it. For the average American household, up to $2,200 per year can literally be “thrown away” through wasting your food. And this monetary value may not even account for the human labor, water, fuel, and other environmental resources that were wasted in the process.
Going back to the Consumption stage of The Food Life Cycle, it turns out that in most developed countries, around half of all food waste occurs in the home. To remove ourselves from this ugly cycle of wasting resources, we can do several things in our personal lives to be more sustainable! Check out these four tips below to start making a difference (and start saving money)!
TIP #1: Have a plan when going to the grocery store
Before you go to the store (or on your way), brainstorm what ingredients you’ll need to make the 1-3 dishes you’ll make in the next week. That way, when you peruse the store, you’re searching for what you will truly use, not just what “looks good”. You will save money by default, and have a more clear plan for cooking this week’s meal(s).
TIP #2: When you have too many leftovers or extra pieces of produce, freeze it!
There are several kinds of food you can freeze before its expiration date and use later! Check out this extensive list here. I’ve personally loved being able to dice up and freeze mangoes, bananas, and even spinach for use in future smoothies! If freezing is not the best option, then follow these awesome zero-waste cooks Anne-Marie Bonneau (website here and Instagram @zerowastechef) and Max La Manna (website here and Instagram @maxlamanna) to learn how to use food scraps efficiently (plus other cool ideas)!
TIP #3: take smaller portions first and THEN add more to your plate incrementally
I once had a friend come over when I had lovingly made my special homemade dessert. She filled up her plate fully, and then said “I’m done” when only half the dessert was eaten. I sadly slid the half eaten dessert (now soaked in ice cream and soggy) into the trash can. If she had only just taken a smaller, realistic portion for herself, less resources would have been wasted, I wouldn't have been so sad to throw my special dessert away, AND someone could have enjoyed more of my dessert at a later time. Food is a precious resource, especially when it’s made from the heart by loved ones. Respect it as such.
TIP #4: join the OLIO app and get connected to neighbors
Did you make too much of a dinner dish or buy an extra gallon of orange juice that none of your friends will claim? Have you asked around your circle of friends and no one needs it? Then check out the OLIO app where you can share food with your local neighbors! The food you post on the app can even be opened or partially used, but it just can’t be past its expiration date. Either way, food is being enjoyed and less waste is being piled up in landfills. I’m currently on the app and am waiting for more people to join in my area so I can share more food! Join me. :)
Together, let’s be more aware of the food we buy, the food we actually eat, and the daily impact we want to have on the world and on our wallets. We can do it! Comment below what changes you plan to make, and whether you might join the OLIO app!
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