Introduction
Food waste is a major problem throughout the world. According to Mark Roemer Oakland, every day in America one pound of food is wasted per person. Fortunately, you can manage that waste and reduce it significantly. Here’s how:
The Ways
- Put the leftovers to good use – If you have food leftovers quite often, there is no need to throw them in the trash. When food wasn’t as cheap and abundant a few decades ago people used to pack the leftovers and keep them in the fridge overnight for breakfast, if you don’t want to do that you can use the leftovers in innovative ways. You can use the ingredients in salads, sandwiches, or stuffing in rolls, tacos, and dumplings.
- Mark the expiry dates – Lists are very useful and your fridge can use one to minimize food waste. With lists, you can manage the stock in your fridge and note down the expiry dates of all the perishable food. When that list is on the door of your fridge, you can see it every time you use the fridge and are reminded about using that carton of milk, eggs, sausages, cheese, or dips before they expire. If you have a smart fridge, you can scan the expiry dates of products on the companion app on your phone and get notified a few days or weeks before the deadline. This kind of smart management also allows you to be better at grocery shopping. You always know about the ingredients in your fridge and that’s why you won’t buy extra packs of veggies, meat, milk, or anything else. It saves you money and reduces waste.
- Be wiser with veggies and fruits – Fruits and vegetables can never be wasted. You can always find a good way of incorporating them into your diet as long as they aren’t rotten. If fruits are firm and fresh you can use them in cooking, for salads, or for eating them whole. If they have been in the fridge for a long time and have turned squishy you can put them into the food processor or blender and turn them into healthy and delicious smoothies. You can also use fruits and use them for beauty purposes.
- Check the thermostat in the refrigerator – If you have an old fridge where the thermostat dial sits at the back of the shelf then check if it’s at the ideal medium setting. Sometimes it can be dialed up or down mistakenly by cartons, soda bottles, or other items while you unpack groceries. You don’t want the setting to be too cold or too warm. Either of those conditions isn’t ideal for food preservation and may lead to food waste and a strained refrigerator.
Conclusion
Mark Roemer Oakland suggests that you use these tips to minimize food waste as much as possible. This helps you save money, makes you more cautious of what you eat, and also reduces your carbon footprint.