What can we do about food waste

23. October 2020. VeeMee

What can we do about food waste?

Despite the most advanced meteorological technology, the climate is more unpredictable than ever, and you and I contribute to that by throwing food away. Would we like to change that? We live in a hypersensitive world surrounded by insensitive people – in the world, hunger and malnutrition are growing in parallel, same as the obesity and the amount of food thrown away. Would we like to change that? We are facing the extinction of marine species due to the leakage of phosphorus and nitrogen into the sea. Would we like to change that too? Here are some good news: all of these problems are closely related to human actions and habits. Changing our habits can have very positive outcomes. For us. For our children. For the whole planet. But only if we want to “be the change we want to see in the world.”

Food waste is present at all stages of the food chain, from growers who send “defective goods” to consumers who allow fruits and vegetables (“defective goods”) to rot at the bottom of the refrigerator.

Throwing food on landfills actually means throwing money on landfills. The world economy loses $ 940 billion a year due to inefficiencies in food distribution and consumption. Also, the growing demand for food (which we ultimately do not eat at all, but throw away) makes it more expensive not only for us but also for the poor ones.

To remind, according to the UN Organization for Food and Agriculture 30% of the total food produced in the world, is thrown away. Billion tons of food world rejects each year. At the same time, these amounts of food can feed three billion people while the number of hungry people in Africa is growing every day. And if that “distant Africa” is already so “distant”, it is enough to look around, look at the containers along the road while traveling to work or simply look at the first neighbor. Some of them must be hungry while we continue throw bananas because they turned black, expired yogurt or bread that, * for God’s sake *, is no longer as soft as yesterday.

And if you struggle questions at the beginning of today’s article, we bring concrete steps that will truly enable us to be the change you wish to see in the world.

What can we do about food waste? - VeeMee

VeeMee began its contribution — years ago since more than — tons of food have been saved from throwing. We will call our great story “Operation 24”. Wondering why? Because in just 24 hours we do all this:

  • We wake up every morning and decide that even today, returning or throwing away goods due to a false declaration, damage, torn euro pallet or package is not an option, therefore:
  1. We detect where the problem is – in logistics or quality of goods,
  2. According to the problem, we define the job we have to do,
  3. We change boxes, add/correct declarations, change pallets, sort, reorganize, pack and finally ⬇
  4. We make a decision which will determine the fate of the product. Shopping mall, food outlet or donation – the question is now. That, in fact, you will agree, does not matter. The only thing that matters is that the food is not thrown away. Aaaaand to round off our 24-hour story: ⬇️
  5. Transport is included!

It’s time for “Operation 24” to get a new look. Personalized. Only yours. In this fight against food waste, you set the rules, and we’ll just give you ideas for some of them:

 

 

  1. Plan your purchase

Plan your purchase, write down, if necessary, on paper what exactly you need and stick to the list. Don’t buy food that you may “need” (because 99% you won’t).

Plan meals for the week and make a list of the foods you need to prepare them. Again, stick to the list! And remember: supermarkets are carefully designed to maximize profits, which includes lures for “impulsive shopping.”

  1. Make friends with your freezer

First of all, prepare perishable foods, then freeze them and use them later; tomato and pepper sauce can be “fresh” in winter – freeze the last summer supplies of peppers and tomatoes; bread which you could not eat, freeze – when you take it out of the oven it will be fresh again …

Of course, even the coldest freezer won’t help you if you stand in front of it with the door open while looking for something to eat for minutes. The faster you close the door, the less damage you will do with the temperature inside the freezer.

  1. Manage food properly

Dates that point us to the most desirable expiration date do not mean that the product should be discarded if that expiration date is exceeded. “Best to use” is best used as a guideline, however, before throwing away food, be sure to check for signs of spoilage.

Because if you think about it a little closer: the package of forest fruits is marked with the expiration date “12.10.2020”. Is it recommended to use it for a cake on December 10th 2020. at 23:59? Or forest fruits are „ready for garbage” just a minute later?

Furthermore, put the oldest foods in the refrigerator forward so that they do not “perish”.

Also, don’t go shopping until you have used up almost all the groceries, because … now is the time to reveal my grandmother’s culinary secret: “It’s easy to prepare a meal when you have some foods available. Real masters make something out of nothing! ” 😉

If your banana is turned black and looks unattractive to eat, do not throw it away, it is a great addition to a smoothie J

And lastly, if you have a piece of chicken breast left, don’t throw it away! If you chop it into small pieces the next day is a great addition to a cold chicken salad!

  1. Opt for “ugly” looking fruits and vegetables

More and more stores are especially separating the part with unattractive-looking fruits and vegetables. Opt for it, because often there are no other shortcomings besides the look, and you will pass much cheaper!

  1. Learn how to preserve food

Take the time to learn about food storage and winter storage methods. Pickles and praprika will be grateful J

  1. Store food in the right place

You can significantly extend the shelf life of food by storing it at the appropriate temperature.

  1. Compost leftover food

Composting is a great way to use leftover food. If you are engaged in agriculture, you can prepare fertile soil for growing fruits and vegetables by composting.

  1. Sort biowaste!

  2. Teach children about the dangers of food waste

The world rests on the young, so let’s make sure we instill in our youngest ones an awareness of the consequences of throwing the food away. Compost together, plan meals, do shopping and separate waste!

  1. Control portions

This step will not only help you reduce your calorie intake, but also reduce the amount of food that will end up in the trash.

We can all be part of the solution to this great problem. So do I. And you too. Our actions can truly be the change we want to see. Start today, and if you don’t know which step to start with, we’ll give you another one, our favorite:

  1. Donate food you will not use

If you have food in the fridge that you know you won’t use, donate it! Donate it to the soup kitchen or food banks. If they are not near you, we remind you, look around, because someone near you is certainly hungry!

Krajnji korisnik financijskog instrumenta sufinanciranog iz ESIF mikro zajmovi za obrtna sredstva u sklopu Operativnog programa konkurentnosti i kohezije https://hamagbicro.hr/
The creation of this website was co-financed by the European Union from European Structural and Investment Funds Krajnji korisnik financijskog instrumenta sufinanciranog iz ESIF mikro zajmovi za obrtna sredstva u sklopu Operativnog programa konkurentnosti i kohezije