In celebration of World Environment Day on June 5th, Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson (co-founders of Food Tank), have constructed 10 ways in which farmers, food manufacturers, and eaters can reduce their food waste footprints. All their suggestions are worth sharing, but please pay close attention to the tips “Request smaller portions” and “Store food properly at home.” These two easy recommendations can be followed by anyone and in the long run will not only help cut your food waste but additionally save you money! Not to mention, requesting smaller portions will aid in your weight loss efforts and help reduce your waistline! This is something Americans need to practice a lot more to win the war on obesity as well as essentially eliminating food waste! I think most of us already do the “Trust the five senses” which is human instinct…anyways I hope it is!
Use “ugly” produce
In Kenya, strict European aesthetic standards force vegetable exporters to waste up to 40 percent of their harvest. Tristram Stuart’s Feeding the 5,000 is urging markets and governments to revise these standards. They are also reviving the practice of gleaning—organizing volunteers to harvest cosmetically imperfect produce for donation to schools and food banks.
Donate unused food throughout the production line
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) estimates that food waste costs in Italy alone are equivalent to US$13 billion (€10 billion) in the field, US$1.5 billion (€1.2 billion) in processing, and nearly US$2 billion (€1.5 billion) in distribution. Last Minute Market (LMM) works with farmers, processing centers, grocery stores, and other food sellers to reclaim these losses. Founded by BCFN Advisor Andrea Segrè, LMM now runs food donation programs in over 40 Italian communities.
Trust the five senses
Despite what many consumers think, “sell by,” “best by,” and “use by” dates are unregulated and do not indicate food safety. Clarifying these labels, according to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in the U.K., could reduce food waste by up to 20 percent. One of the best ways to tell if food has gone bad is not by using some fancy technology, but by simply putting human senses to work. If food smells bad or looks bad, it’s probably not good to eat.
Request smaller portions
According to NRDC food waste expert Dana Gunders, the average U.S. pizza slice grew 70 percent in calories between 1982 and 2002, and the average chicken Caesar salad doubled in calories. Portion increases are bad for both our waistlines and our waste footprints. New campaigns, such as Go Halfsies and Satisfeito, are promoting half-portions and making it easier for diners to order less.
Invest in on-site preservation and storage
FAO reports that cowpea farmers in Ghana who can afford to store their crops still lose 10, 20, or even 50 percent of their product in a single month. Perdue University’s Perdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) is reducing these losses with cheap, triple-layer plastic bags that protect cowpeas for months without expensive pesticides. The program expects to save farmers at least half a billion dollars per year over all.
Store food properly at home
U.S. families throw away around 25 percent of the food they buy, losing up to US$2,275 every year. The Love Food Hate Waste campaign recommends reducing waste by learning the best ways to store food at home.
Compost
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that food sent to landfills creates 16 percent of U.S. methane emissions. But composting centers can help turn food waste into a valuable resource. Compost for Brooklyn turned an abandoned lot into a compost site and native plant garden. There, the organization hosts neighborhood events, educational programs, and gardening workshops, while reclaiming up to 350 kilograms (770 pounds) of waste per week.
Improve family farmers’ access to education
The Post Harvest Education Foundation offers training materials, e-learning programs, and mentoring opportunities that help farmers around the world prevent food waste. Their postharvest management guide is available in 10 languages, featuring topics such as how to choose the best time for harvest, and the advantages of different transportation methods.
Establish low-waste incentives
Increased awareness about food waste can turn retailers’ pro-waste incentives into low-waste incentives. Danish food expert Selina Juul’s Stop Wasting Food campaign inspired Danish supermarket Rema 1000 to replace buy-one-get-one-free and other quantity-based discounts with general discounts in all of its stores. Similarly, the US$16 billion grocery chain Stop and Shop/Giant Landover found that reductions in overstocking not only cut waste, but saved around US$100 million annually, and improved customer satisfaction by decreasing spoilage.
Collect and distribute food waste data
Collecting and displaying data on food waste is critical to changing wasteful habits. U.S. college students are helping to lead the charge, challenging universities to measure and reduce their food waste footprints. A great resource for others looking to get involved is food waste expert Jonathan Bloom’s blog, Wasted Food, which features weekly updates about new data, waste reduction campaigns, and tips for local action.
On farms, in homes, at schools, and in businesses, we can all help find ways to prevent food waste. In the countdown to World Environment Day on June 5th, Food Tank will feature more information about food waste reduction on its website.
Visit Food Tank to learn more about how you can reduce your own family’s food waste footprints!
Shop Wisely
Do you have a suggestion on how to eliminate food waste that is not mentioned above? My tip is to shop wisely! Only purchase what you can eat and avoid those sneaky impulse buys! I know that sounds like common sense, but shoppers tend to over purchase produce in bulk thinking they are getting a great deal and waste more than can be consumed. Ultimately, the excess food ends up rotting in landfills some where.
I would love to hear your tips and share them with my readers! Have a happy and productive World Environment Day! Peace out!
great tips,we dont waste any food,it gets put in lunches or frozen for lunch later
Great info! We’ve been working really hard in our household to try to reduce the amount of food that we throw away. It’s really a shame what gets wasted. I’ve found that if I take the time on the weekend to tentatively plan a menu for the week that I throw a lot less away.
I got out of the “weekly grocery shopping” mentality when I moved to where I lived close enough to the grocery store to walk to it. That meant I was carrying everything home, which meant I had to limit what I bought. I quickly got used to this and found myself shopping more like a European, going to the market every day or two and feeding my family fresher produce.
These are great tips! Despite my best efforts, I still feel as if we waste way too much food around here.
These are great tips. I have been trying to follow the tip about using my senses to decide whether or not food is good… regardless of the “best, use, sell by” dates. So far, no one has gotten sick… 😉
I need to shop better – everything looks good with the fresh produce and can’t use it all when I buy it
Wow–great article! So many great ways to choose from to keep food from being wasted. I hate to see produce go to waste in my own fridge and thinking of that multiplied in the industry I can only imagine the large amounts lost. We are enjoying our local farmers’ market–so fresh and you can go twice a week and there is less waste.
these are all really great tips and ideas! I completely agree about the “use by” dates, a lot of the time it is just them trying to cover the butt on someone not eating “bad” food and then coming after the company, but in most cases, at least in my house – the food is still good!
I found the statistic on “ugly” product startling. Produce in the US supermarkets is always so “perfect looking. I wonder how much is discarded because of a few blemishes. I find it hard to believe that U.S. Families throw away around 25% of the food they buy. In today’s economy and with the price of food, it seems that is a bit high. All in all this article is a real eye-opener.
One of the things we did that really cut down on food waste was to plan meals. Each weekend we plan and shop for 4 days worth of meals. Two things happen when we do this. 1 – We only buy the produce we know we’ll use so it doesn’t get wasted. If we don’t plan then we buy things that look good but don’t get used. 2 – By only planning 4 meals in a week, we leave room for flexibility and for consuming our left-overs. We also start digging through the pantry and the freezer when the planned meals are done, using up our stores.
Of all the different ways we’ve handled dinners, this one saves the most money and wastes the least food by far.
These really are great tips! Requesting smaller portions is definitely something I can do!
Loved reading these tips. I started using portion control and it’s done wonders for my waistline and my pocketbook. I buy less food now and I freeze, cook, or store the rest so I’m not so wasteful. I also buy marked down items and produce from stores to save.