5 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Food Waste

Written by: Jumana Ismail

 

1. Shop Smartly

Research has shown that buying perishable foods in huge quantities at once has been a shopping method that leads to more food waste. To avoid food waste make your trips more frequent to the grocery store every few days rather than once a week. Additionally, try making a list of items you need to purchase and be sure to use up all your groceries before buying more.

 

 

 

 2.  Store Food Properly

Improper storage leads to a massive amount of food waste. Many people are unsure of how to store many veggies and fruits. For instance, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, and onions should never be refrigerated rather should be kept at room temperature. Carrots, coriander, and parsley should be kept in containers filled with water and be refrigerated to keep them fresh for a longer amount of time. 

 

 

3. Freezing Food

One of the easiest ways to preserve food is by freezing it. There are tons of foods that stay fresh for longer by freezing as well as could be used in later recipes. For example, greens that are too soft to be used could be stored in freezer-safe bags and containers and could be stored until used in later smoothies or recipes. You can also freeze left-overs to save yourself from cooking and wasting food. 

 

 

4. Packing Lunch

Buying meals from restaurants is not only costly but could also contribute to food waste. A helpful way to reduce the amount of food you waste is by packing your own lunch. If you tend to have leftovers from yesterday’s meals, pack them for a healthy lunch at work.

 

 

 

5. Donating to Food Banks

If you have cans of soups, boxes of granola bars, cereals, and many packaged foods in your pantry, an easy way to not waste them is to donate them to food banks. But always make sure to check the expiry dates before delivering your food to your community.  

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/reduce-food-waste

https://www.nrcm.org/blog/5-ways-reduce-food-waste-while-practicing-social-distancing/

https://goodfoodcentre.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/donations.jpg?w=640

https://integrisok.com/-/media/blog/q2-2020/oyh-frozen-food.ashx?as=1&mh=405&mw=720&usecustomfunctions=1&relativeresize=1&revision=16751ff8-f734-4e39-bf8c-4a4586867794&hash=D5AB4AD2A35E69535BC51B4C7FB93D4586036AF0

https://stopfoodwaste.org/media/shopping-1-small_0.jpg

https://www.thejc.com/image/policy:1.102195:1480916835/letterbox_packed-lunch-homemade-med.jpg?f=16×9&h=576&w=1024&$p$f$h$w=a49aff3

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/thmb/NCcjE3wY_Br8vD9POc6iB0DSKHk=/1100×825/smart/filters:no_upscale()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__simply_recipes__uploads__2008__04__storing-parsley-horiz-a-1200-a81f3489eee64ae391df98333ab4d6fd.jpg

https://foodprint.org/issues/the-problem-of-food-waste/