Last month, The PediaBlog spent three posts (beginning here) examining the enormous amount of food mankind produces and then wastes:
Food spills. It spoils. It is scraped off plates into trash bags. It becomes leftover meals and snacks that never get eaten — adding up to 1,160 pounds (1.2 million calories) bought and left uneaten for a typical American family of four every year.
Katie Morford has also been contemplating food waste on her blog “Mom’s Kitchen Handbook”:
Last week I wrote about the profound impact of food waste on our environment, thanks to the 36 pounds that gets tossed per person each month. This week I bring it home and show you how to begin thinking about reducing waste in your very own kitchen.
The “thinking ” part of the equation is everything here, since the first step in making a change is awareness. Just being conscious of what you routinely put in the garbage may begin to shift your habits. To get you started, I’ve mapped out a series of steps to minimize waste.
Morford’s first tip is also the most obvious:
Shop in Your Own Fridge First — Before you head to the market, know what you have, so you don’t double up on unneeded groceries.
For parents who prepare most of the meals their families eat will find these next two suggestions really valuable:
Plan Meals— It helps to have a plan in hand when it comes to minimizing waste. Before you plot out your meals for the week, consider what you already have so you can work those foods into your game plan.
Build an “Eat the Leftovers” Night into your weekly routine. The app Handpick might be useful for this: You plug in foods you have on hand; the app offers suitable recipes using those ingredients. Brilliant.
Katie Morford has some more advice to help you and your family waste less food on her excellent blog here.