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food waste IS a big deal
text . Pauline Chan .
We are all guilty of wasting food at some time in our lives. We say we hate to waste but inadvertently, our habits, actions, even our culture leads us to commit wastage. A new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has produced disturbing statistics - globally, 1.3 billion tons of food go to waste every year. The report found that people in the developed world are among the worst food-wasters. In Europe and North America, 209 to 254 pounds of food are wasted per person per year. In Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, it's about 13 to 24 pounds per year.
Developed countries are more likely to waste food on the consumption end - they dump food that they have bought too much, produce that are left to spoil or leftovers they brought home from the restaurant and decided, nah, don't want them anymore. In the developing world, food waste is mainly due to supply reasons such as difficulties in harvesting, storage and keeping them fresh while in transit. It is a global problem that drains a significant volume of natural resources.
With poverty and starvation on the rise around the globe, we may well increase our awareness of the issues associated to wasting food and make a change on the home front. Here's our BruneiONS team's top 9 nifty ways of cutting down waste:
Learn to freeze - Sometimes the packed quantities of fresh produce we buy are more than what we will use up. Like meat and cheese, fresh produce can be frozen before they spoil. You just need to blanch them first in boiling water to stop enzyme action before packing them into the freezer. Since freezing changes the texture, use the frozen food in recipes like casseroles, stews or soups. Baked items like bread can also be frozen. Toast them straight from the freezer, they'll taste as good as fresh.
Buy sensible quantities - For fresh produce, buy what you need for a recipe/planned meal and if you find that there is too much to be used at one go, share the extra with friends or relatives. If you don't want to keep running to the supermarket for fresh produce, buy them in varying degrees of ripeness - some ripe, some medium-ripe and some green to prevent mass spoiling.
We are all guilty of wasting food at some time in our lives. We say we hate to waste but inadvertently, our habits, actions, even our culture leads us to commit wastage. A new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has produced disturbing statistics - globally, 1.3 billion tons of food go to waste every year. The report found that people in the developed world are among the worst food-wasters. In Europe and North America, 209 to 254 pounds of food are wasted per person per year. In Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, it's about 13 to 24 pounds per year.
Developed countries are more likely to waste food on the consumption end - they dump food that they have bought too much, produce that are left to spoil or leftovers they brought home from the restaurant and decided, nah, don't want them anymore. In the developing world, food waste is mainly due to supply reasons such as difficulties in harvesting, storage and keeping them fresh while in transit. It is a global problem that drains a significant volume of natural resources.
With poverty and starvation on the rise around the globe, we may well increase our awareness of the issues associated to wasting food and make a change on the home front. Here's our BruneiONS team's top 9 nifty ways of cutting down waste:
Learn to freeze - Sometimes the packed quantities of fresh produce we buy are more than what we will use up. Like meat and cheese, fresh produce can be frozen before they spoil. You just need to blanch them first in boiling water to stop enzyme action before packing them into the freezer. Since freezing changes the texture, use the frozen food in recipes like casseroles, stews or soups. Baked items like bread can also be frozen. Toast them straight from the freezer, they'll taste as good as fresh.
Buy sensible quantities - For fresh produce, buy what you need for a recipe/planned meal and if you find that there is too much to be used at one go, share the extra with friends or relatives. If you don't want to keep running to the supermarket for fresh produce, buy them in varying degrees of ripeness - some ripe, some medium-ripe and some green to prevent mass spoiling.
Divide into portions - Divide packages of raw meat and freeze in individual portions for use later. Cook just enough for the meal.
Plan your menu - To enjoy healthy meals takes more fresh produce and whole grains which have shorter life spans than processed food, so plan your meals for the week to incorporate leftovers and food that might spoil if not used up. Good planning can prevent food going to waste.
Learn to store - Bulk-buying saves money and certainly cuts down on packaging. Make sure you store them properly so food don't go stale or rancid before you have a chance to eat it. You can store brown rice in your fridge and flour in your freezer.
Freeze leftovers - Some households consider leftovers as abominable and should be thrown out if not finished. Quite the contrary, you can refrigerate leftovers (preferably within 2 hours of cooking) and use them within 3 to 4 days, or just freeze them. Long-cooking food like stews or thick soups make great leftovers. Roast meat can even be eaten cold in salads if used the next day.
Buy frozen - While fresh produce is preferred, frozen vegetables and fruits work well and you can used exactly what you need, anytime. Frozen produce are known to retain most of their vitamins as they are quickly frozen after picking to preserve all the goodness. Fresh produce lose their vitamins the longer they are exposed to the air after picking.
Donate - If you run a food establishment, adopt a program or set up an arrangement to donate food at the end of the day so perfectly good food is not dumped into bins. In the United States, fresh food and produce are often dumped and not donated simply because of liability fears.
Compost - Compost can be simple or complicated, depends on how you want to do it. You can mix kitchen scraps into a pile of grass clippings and leaves, or build compost bins. At the end of the day, you will be rewarded with a rich garden soil supplement. Whatever method you choose, garden experts recommend you leave meat, bones and dairy items out of the compost system to prevent rotting smells and vermin.
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