The Worldwatch Institute brainstormed 10 Easy Steps To Waste Less Food:
- Be realistic: Due to the fear that we might not have enough food, we always cook unrealistic amounts of food no one can really eat. In order to be realistic, have a look at the Food Hate Waste organization’s “Perfect portions” planner to calculate the perfect meal size.
- Plan ahead: Create a shopping list before heading to the shops. It will help to not buy unnecessary products. Grocery Gadgets for your Smartphone are very useful little helper.
- Go small: You can always have a second (or third) serving. Therefore, start off with smaller portions in order to reduce the amount left on the plate (which usually becomes waste).
- Encourage self-serve: Let your guests self-serve and therefore decide how much they would like to have on their plate and can eat. This reduces the amount of food left on plates.
- Store leftovers safely: Store your leftovers in secure and reusable containers. Also separate your leftovers and store them in small individual containers. This reduces the risk of stored food being passed over and eventually wasted.
- Compost food scraps: Compost vegetable peels, egg shells and other food scraps from meal preparation. Composting systems can be relatively easy and inexpensive, and provide quality input for gardens.
- Create new meals: Have a look at Love Food Hate Waste’s creative recipes to see if your food scraps can be used for new meals.
- Donate excess: Donate canned and dried foods you didn’t need for your holiday meal to food banks and shelters. Have a look at the Feeding America’s Food Bank Locator or search for it on the web for your country.
- Support food-recovery programs: In some cases, food-recovery systems will come to you to collect your excess. For instance, in New York City the world’s first food-rescue organization, collects approximately 28 million pounds of food each year.
- Give gifts with thought: When giving food as a gift, avoid highly perishable items and make an effort to select foods that you know the recipient will enjoy rather than waste.
Beautiful Earth 