Food Waste - A Month of Trying Harder

As you can see in the previous post, my intent had been to take a picture each week of any food that we let go bad at our house, and didn't eat due to spoilage.  The last few weeks got away from me, so this post is a catch up.  The first week, we did not do terribly.  Below,  you will see the ends of a loaf of bread that went bad.  I was mad about wasting the squash, because I forgot I bought it.

After Week One I realized that much of our food waste comes from lack of organization.  When things are in glass containers,  we see it and tend to eat it.  When leftovers or purchased food is in opaque containers, or is put in the wrong place, we end up with waste.

Week Two we did much better.  We did toss a few things.  There was a small amount of sour cream that was past its expiration date, and didn't look right.  We also had an apple and a few stalks of celery that went south before we ate it.  We also had some shredded cheese that my daughter forgot to put back into the refrigerator, so we had to toss that.

Week Three - Life got crazy and so did our waste.  We went to a restaurant, and forgot our reusable leftover containers.  Luckily, our leftovers were put into a compostable container.  We did eat part of it, but left some in the fridge, and that ended up being tossed.  We also wasted some mushrooms.  I thought we would use the package I bought,  but when it got busy, we ate out.   I need to plan better when I know it is going to be busy, and not try and convince myself that I can juggle a busy schedule and cook every night.  That error caused double waste.   I also found two mushy sweet potatoes and the last sandwich slice of ham that was no longer fresh.   

All in all, I feel like we are doing a decent job in our food waste, it may be because we all know we are measuring it.  We are questioning "fresh by" labels, and taste testing things before tossing them.   We are also buying smaller quantities of the things that perish quickly  knowing that we are at the grocery story often, so we can always replenish if we run out.

Looking for more tips on how not to waste food?  Check out this PDF made by the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

What are your tips to not waste food? 

February's Sustainable Challenge - Reducing Food Waste

Coupon clipping seems to be all the rage these days.  Clipping Coupons and buying at stores like Costco can save you a bundle on your food costs, right?

MAYBE.... if you consume it before it goes bad.  

The February Zero-Waste challenge is to consider how much food you throw away due to spoilage.  Lately, my family has not been doing well on this, so we are redoubling our effort to be less wasteful in the food department.

Last year I ran across a great blog called Simply Being Mum.  For four years now - Jo has been focusing on reducing her family's food waste.  Her ideas are simple.... and brilliant!  Her tips are great:

• Meal plan 
• Shop only from a list 
• Check to see how it is going along mid-week - to be sure you are on track. 
• Post and use a shopping list all week for condiments, etc.
• Clean out your fridge every Friday.  She blogs about her waste to be accountable!
• Have a "use it up week" if the fridge is getting too full.  

Simply Being Mum got her original inspiration from The Frugal Girl. 

The Frugal Girl posts pictures and explanations for her waste (what went bad this week in the fridge), and what she was able to rescue - because she found it before it was too late!



I know why we waste food in our house.

• We buy too much of something.  We justify the purchase, because of the great price.  
• Our fridge is too full - and we forget about things we have, until it is too late.  
• Last - we just can't seem to pass up the Buy One Get One Deals that seem like a great deal at the time... but when one of the two go in the garbage - that isn't good for anyone.   

To try and break our old bad habits of food waste, I am going to photograph each Friday with what I must throw away, until our efforts to reduce waste start to pay off.

Here's the thing, if we could all stop wasting so much food it would be really good for the environment!  Here is an eye-opening video that explains not just about the food going into the dumpster but about the energy and resources that go into producing the food. It was made by Lovin Spoonfuls, a food rescue organization in Massachusetts.

This video makes me want to learn more about the successes and challenges of our local food banks. It also makes me want to be more mindful about the food we buy, and the waste we generate in our family.  We commit to reducing food waste, and hope you join us on this quest to make less waste!

Before you toss that container of food - Are you sure it's bad?

Food Labeling - What does it mean?  "Best By", "Sell By", "Enjoy By" and "Use By"....they sound simple enough, but in truth the timelines are not well understood and are not regulated consistently.  A recent report from Harvard and the Natural Resources Defense Council - Called The Dating Game:  How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America, found that some changes to the system could prevent a lot of food from being trashed, and provide food to some who would be going hungry otherwise.  

As our food system changed from a farm system in the 1940's to a highly processed system now, each state has adopted different policies for these confusing little labels.  What is required in California is different, than the regulations in the next state over. 

Because of the lack of regulation, most of the labels indicate how the food will taste in it's prime freshness, but most people think the food is no longer safe to eat after that date.   Think about it from a producer standpoint - they want you to have the best crunch for your chip, or correct chewiness for your cookie.

But the flip side of this, is that edible food is being tossed and or donated... when it is still perfectly safe to eat, because it is no longer at the freshness level the producer has determined is ideal.

In fact food waste is such a problem, that former Trader Joe's President Bill Rauch, is opening a market in Massachusetts,  by taking perfectly edible produce slightly past its sell-by date that ends up in the trash, and repurposing it into deeply discounted meals.  His place is going to be priced to sell meals that would compete with a fast food restaurant.

It is estimated that American's toss about 40% of all food that is produced in our nation.  Some is at the store level, but part of this is because we look at those labels, and say, "oh, darn this is bad."  But is it?  Maybe it just isn't as fresh as the producer wants us to experience.  It might be perfectly edible.
 
Please note - I am NOT suggesting you ingest dairy, seafood or other highly perishable items after their expiration date.  But that box of cookies that is 3 days past their prime, might be just fine.   How you can make less food waste?   Before you toss, think about what the label is on, how it has been stored, and what your common sense tells you.

Here's to less food waste in our One Big Bin!  

Drinking from a Straw Doesn't Have to Suck

For me, Earth Day is every day, But since Earth Day is "officially" in April, I wanted to celebrate  by giving away some reusable items that helped me create less waste.

I'm a mom who runs a small nonprofit, has two kinds in elementary school and a husband who travels at times for work.  Sometimes, I don't have the time / energy to cook at home so we do eat out a few times a week.   That said - I hate how much waste gets generated at restaurants, and if there was a less wasteful way to eat out, we'd probably eat out more often.  If you set aside all of the packaging for the food, and just look at the waste from drinks - it is CRAZY.

If you just take the single largest fast food chain, McDonald's - you will see they serve over 64 million meals each day.  That means that if each meal had a drink, with a straw, over the course of a year, McDonald's generates about 23,360,000,000 plastic straws in their waste.  That number is too big for me to even try to say.  Perhaps only a portion of the people get a drink, but if you add the drinks for Subway, Burger King, Wendy's and the other fast food chains - the amount of waste is overwhelming. 

A while back, I had a chance to hear Beth Terry, the Author of My Plastic Free Life, speak.  She shared a number of reusable products that helped her reduce her plastic consumption down to practically nothing.  I was intrigued by her Glass Dharma Straw, so I ordered one for each person in the family, and we all love them!

If you are already a pretty eco-minded, minimal waste person, this is for you.  If you already have your reusable cup and bring your own shopping bags/containers to the store, this could be your next step for reducing waste.

We have a gift pack of three Glass Dharma (an amber shorty straw, a smoothie straw, a beautiful bend straw, as well as a cleaning brush)  glass straws you can win.  These straws are sustainable, reusable, durable, easy to clean and suitable for hot or cold drinks.    Glass straw - but will it break?  I can tell you we have accidentally dropped one on our tile floor, and it didn't break.  They are made of glass, but they are incredibly durable!

To be entered to win the prize, please leave a comment below.  Tell us how you try to reduce the amount of plastic waste you generate in your day-to-day life, and one thing you already do to make less waste.    Be sure to leave me an email/contact if you win!  Winner will be announced on April 22nd!  You must be a resident of the U.S. to participate.

Sorry for the late announcement for the winner... The Random Generator chose #2  - Congratulations Annette - you win the prize pack!!