Undoubtedly, we produce enough food to feed the entire world, and yet, so many people worldwide are severly malnourished and deprived.
Although solving this issue requires effective political and economic choices, we can make positive changes starting small from our home. Reducing how much food we waste daily is one way we can affect overall food loss.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one-third of produced food is wasted every year. That is, indeed, a tremendous amount of food thrown for practically no reason.
Knowing how we can reduce food waste can not only save a lot of money in the long run but also support the much-needed global change.
Being aware of how much food we buy is the first thing we should have on our minds. If we buy the food in large quantities, we might end up with many spoiled and expired products. Thus, going to the market more often and making sure we use all our ingredients before buying the new ones is the small step towards reducing food waste.
Another essential thing to have in mind is the way we store our food. Some fruits and vegetables can be stored in the fridge and some at room temperature. The ones we can keep outside, we should separate from the ones that produce ethylene, which makes the ripening process faster. Such fruits and veggies are apples, peaches, apricots, avocados, tomatoes and bananas, to name a few.
What is more, we often keep the leftovers from lunch or dinner in our fridge and forget to use them on time. A great way to prevent this is to make a whole meal combining only the food we have in our fridge. You can be as creative as you want. This way, we keep a clean and organized fridge, making sure we don´t throw anything that can still be used.
Pickling is another fantastic solution to preserving food in a natural and healthy way. In every corner of the world, you will find different pickling techniques using local and seasonal vegetables. So, why not bring back this useful tradition and enjoy your veggies throughout the entire year?
Also, we can use the freezer to keep many foods from being spoiled. The foods we won´t use soon, we can put in containers marking a date, so we know the exact day we froze them.
In case you have a garden or planning to make one, compost is an excellent solution for many scrapes and pealed skin.
After all, scraps, seeds, spotty fruits and vegetables can all be repurposed. It only takes a little effort and curiosity to learn how to reuse them.
Finally, we can donate the excess food we have to a charity or any other organization that provides food to those in need. If we act locally, we can make the changes globally.
Considering the numerous ways of reducing food waste, we can see what works best for us and apply it accordingly. In the beginning, we might need to remind ourselves more often not to throw anything that is still good to use. However, after some time, it will become our habit, a habit that can make a change we wish to see in the world.
So, let´s start small and let´s start today.