REDUCING FOOD WASTE AT 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 is thrown away only in the European Union countries, while about 1.3 billion tons worldwide.  Many careless actions are the main reasons that are threatening the future of our world. Sadly, we are guilty of all of the horrible things relating to food waste. There are many ways we can stop food waste, such as regulating our shopping schedules, storing food wisely and cooking only the needed quantity.

Usually, people buy all their needed supplies all at once. Even though this may be very convenient, as it reduces the amount of time and money you spend on traveling to the supermarket, it is a very harmful habit and the main factor of food wasting. Well, when we do buy in big bulks we can buy more food than needed or buy food that is already in your house, therefore, wasting food. A helpful way to get rid of this bad habit is by planning your shopping by checking what is needed for the week and then making a list. By doing this, you are also buying fresher and more healthy products like fruit and vegetables instead of cans of pre-made sauces, chips, and many more junk foods.

To follow, another major reason for food waste is when food spoils or is not safe to eat anymore. Consequently, we should learn how to use and store food correctly. 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. There usually are two dates on food. One is the “best before” date, which is the date where the product isn’t at its maximum quality or freshness and the “use by” date, which tells us when the food is not good anymore and we have to, therefore, throw it away. These two dates are not to be confused as many people throw their good food away after the  “best before” date is reached.

Finally, another great way to reduce food waste is to cook wisely. For example, when cooking for gatherings or big groups we tend to cook more than the necessary amount needed. This results in a waste of food. So, be careful with your amounts when cooking for big quantities, but don’t worry. If you find yourself at the end of a day with leftover food just put it in the fridge so you can use it the next day, for a sandwich or a soup.

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 3 easy and helpful methods, many problems in our world today can be put to an end.

WORKS CITED

Dicke, Marcel. “Why not eat insects.” Ted.com. TedconferencesLLC. Jul.2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.

European Commission. “Food Waste.” Ec.Europe.eu. European Union. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.

“Facts.” Foodwasteeffect.eu. Avac Technologies. 2016-2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.

Lyons, Kate. “Cutting Food Waste by a Quarter.” TheGuardian.com. The Guardian News and media limited. 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2019.

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

3 ways to reduce food waste at home

Food waste

10 million tons of consumable food go to waste in France every year. Each person would throw about 20 kilos of food still consumable each year, which represents 1.2 million tons of food that end up in the dumpster.

I think some French people could use their wasted food for compost. That’s a good idea to start reducing food waste . In France, the school Henri Le-Moal had an idea, the students practice composting their own meal tray waste. Thanks to the practice of composting,the students will valorize the inevitable waste of their plates as for example, the peelings of the fruits.

    

Next, Instead of putting the leftovers in the trash, they can be used for lunch the next day, for dinner the next day or to be frozen for another occasion. This will help not to waste and spoil a good meal. In France, many families started to do exactly the same thing. Some supermarkets also started stepped in for food preservation. They are sold cheaper. this helps to reduce the loss of food and waste.

finally prepare a shopping list. When you have to go shopping to fill the fridge, you must make a list and respect it. like that when we go shopping we buy the necessary for the week without excess. This can help reduce food waste. The list is a very good way not to take everything.

The conclusion is that we must be careful for the future of our planet so be careful not to waste food. these three ways of not wasting food are good options. They already help many families to waste the food they buy.

Works Cited

Boyer Marianne and Dumas Eugenie, “en France , le gaspillage alimentaire en chiffres’’, lemonde.fr ,Le Monde, 7 june 2018,Web,10 march 2019

European commission, “Stop food waste”, ec.europa.eu, european commission, web,10 march 2019

“Réduction du gaspillage alimentaire et compostage au collège”, ouest-france.fr,Ouest France, 8 march 2016, Web , 10 march 2019

“La fin du gaspillage alimentaire”, nestle.fr ,nestle ,Web, 10 march 2019

Three ways not to waste food you can do at home

Have ever thought of the huge amounts of food we waste there is daily? Only in the United States of America around sixty billion tons of food are wasted each year. So I would like to propose to you three ways you could start to act on the global problem of food waste.

First of all it starts with your shopping habit. Do not get carried away on that biscuit aisle just because you are hungry. Shop strategically. Plan your shopping list and always remember to check your dates on the items just so you don’t have to throw your food away because it has expired.

Then always be sure not to over quantitate your meals because you don’t want to throw away the food you don’t eat. Instead, do like my mother does. She puts it in a container and stores it until the next meal.

Finally you can turn waste food into a positive thing for the environment. If for some reason food isn't usable just put it into an organic bin so that with time it can become some really good organic fertilizer. This is a good alternative to throwing it away.

This is a really important topic globally and if we don’t take action now then this world the world we know and love will not exist anymore with time. We don’t have any time left to decide so if you want to contribute then please take an act and follow our guide.

Bibliography

2016/10/16, Food Waste, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste_en