Three ways to reduce food waste at your home

“Wasting food is not only an ethical and economic issue but it also depletes the environment of limited natural resources.”  Every year, more than 88 tons of food are thrown away only in the European Union countries, while about 1.3 billion tons worldwide.  Many careless and unnoticed actions, that could be easily avoided, are the main reasons that are threatening the health of our only planet. Such actions take place mostly in our own homes. Regulating our shopping schedules, storing food wisely and cooking only the needed quantity, are small steps that can bring to a big change.

Most of us prefer buying all of our ingredients all at once. What we may see as a convenience and a way to not plan trips to the supermarket every day, is actually one of the main factors of food wasting. This does not only make us buy more food than needed, but it also causes us to get what may be already in our refrigerator or cupboards. Instead, planning your shopping and creating a list make you focus more on what you really need. In this way you can also buy more fresh products that need to be consumed either way and not products that can be preserved for longer periods that then become often forgotten.

Next, one of the main reasons that we throw out our food is because it might not have the expected quality anymore. It is very important to know how to store food properly, especially when dealing with fresh products such as fruit and vegetables. The products can become ripe very easily, leading to spoilage. This is why you should always either consume them as soon as possible, or store them properly. Check when the “use by” dates are due, and remember to not confuse them with “best before.” “Best before” refers to the date up until the food retains its expected quality, so even after the date, the meal is safe to eat. Instead, you should not eat the meal after the “ use by” date. Details such as this are small and mostly left unnoticed, but these are also the most important ones.

One last change that you can introduce in your kitchen, is to cook only the needed amount of food. Cooking for gatherings and dinners can lead to making more food than required, especially when the servings are more than each can take. This not only means throwing out precious food, but also a lot of money. Of course one way to avoid this is to be more careful with the amounts, but there are also other alternatives. Instead of throwing out the leftovers, you could store them for later. The quality might not be as fresh as before, but it is still a very valuable meal. Many have also started to freeze their food. This preserves the food for a longer time, and it also saves time and money. Or you could also turn them into new meals. Soft fruits could be made into smoothies or desserts, while vegetables could be cooked and be put into soups.

These three ways to stop wasting food at your home are some of the many that can prevent the world from suffering more. Not only does the environment suffer from the consequences of it, but also those who can’t afford proper meals every day. Global warming, clearing of trees, and malnutrition are only a few of the results of throwing out food. By following these easy and small steps, great changes can be made.

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Kubala, Jillian. “20 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste.” healthline.com. Healthline Media. 20 Nov. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.