Topic: Dealing with food waste - page 2. (Read 256 times)

It is good we understand our daily consumption rate and shop towards that. Make a list of what you consume everyday that are perishable,for instance If you always eat one apple a day and you go to the grocery thrice a week,mathematically you can buy two  apples per shopping and on the last day of the week you buy three apples demanding on your space interval. Three times is even much at least once a week, write the budget of the items on the list and make sure you know the quantity you will need. Non perishable items can be  preserved for a long time so this don't implies to them.

When cooking,have a measuring material that you use in measuring the quantity of whatever you want to cook,so that you don't cook too much or too small because you know your gauge,so that it can be consumed immediately. I was also wasting food but when,I practised this,it got limited

As for the hotels,they will have waste because they can't know how many customers will becoming to buy on that day. Sometimes when they cook,it might finish fast before closing time and you will see that instead of the hotel to close, they will cook more food to be able to meet up with demand of customers,this can also lead to waste and sometimes they cook more what the customers will consume on that day.

Even I was a person as you mentioned in the oast but recently I am more concerned about health especially post covid and found how much food we waste and how much food we consume which are completely junk and can damage the health and made us to spend more money again for the medical expenses.

In general people don't buy the product they buy the brands because that is how the middle class people mind is tamed to show we are rich in the community, generally restaurants don't waste the uncooked foods because they keep it in freezer and lets cook for the next day so only cooked foods on events, etc, etc are wasted a lot and there are also organization in most places to take and give them to the needies so all we need is the communication and data network between them to achieve zero food waste.

Food management is what also enrages me. This is not because I am greedy, but I just dont like to throw away food. It just pisses me off, when I had to go to supermarket, spend time in lines, carry those bags home, and then throw some food away, while there are people who are starving. Usually every 2-3 week I make a visit to fridge and food shelves to check what is close to due date, to throw it away. I just dont like all those open bags, cans, cut vegetables and fruits and etc. I just dont like to open fridge, see that it is full, but never find anything tasty Sort of full, but nothing to eat.

We have stopped bulk buying, but still I notice that a lot of food is thrown away. Like we are lazy to finish it, or producers make packages so huge, that it is impossible to finish it until you are full or it is spoiled. I would gladly hear some food management advices

Once a week is enough for grocery shopping and try to manage things by writing it down or making notes like how many perishable items you need for the week so that things won't go waste and try to use them sequence wise like use firstly the ones that are already in your fridge.  In our culture if we have excessive things in our fridge we share them with the less privileged or poor people as they have difficulty in buying those themselves ,in this way we help them and food won't go wasted. Wasting food is a bad thing and all of us should avoid that.

The issue is that even then, I just tuck them away in the fridge, never to be seen again. But generally, I try to be frugal and not purchase in huge quantities or buy products in large packaging, because most of the time, it'll simply go bad before it's consumed. I'm trying to limit junk food by switching to salads and fruits. Chocolates, chips, or bars because they are nutritionally worthless. They only provide you with a sugar boost, and that's it. Not only that, but a bag of chips costs something like €1.50-€1.50 and is consumed in a matter of minutes. I'd rather buy a few apples or bananas that'll get me going for a day or two.Hmm, maybe I'm over exaggerating, but it's at least 2 times per week, maybe even 3. I tend to purchase only a few things at once, those that I only currently need. Knowing myself (and my girlfriend) if we buy a ton of food, there's a good chance that some of it will end up in the bin. I don't have the tendency to leave food on my plate, but once in a while, there will be leftovers that'll be forgotten about and thrown away. It's sad.

That seems a bit excessive... once a week is the best I can manage

As far as advice, I don't think there is any magic in it, just takes a bit of planning and discipline - track what you typically consume and buy only as much perishable food as you will need until the next trip to the store. I also found that having a large freezer is a good tradeoff - it costs money to run but it can save a few trips to the grocery store and many fresh perishable items can be frozen without significant loss in nutritional value, so it helps reduce waste.

I wonder if you've noticed cultural differences in food waste. Where I come from, throwing food away is very frowned upon. We prepare only as much food as we need; we put only as much on our plates as we'll eat; and if leftovers happen we eat it the next day. Lots of people around us seem to think that's weird and that leaving half of the food on the plate is some sort of sign of wealth ("I can afford it"). To each their own I guess.

When it comes to things that are perishable, I don't stock up a ton.  For example, instead of buying a ton of apples, maybe just buy 2 or 3.  I have a lot of stock of canned foods and things like that, but apples as you mentioned, or things like bread and milk, I don't buy a ton of them instead opting to make more trips to the grocery store.  I hate throwing away food, and I'm also not a huge fan of trips to the grocery store, but I think if you are only there to grab a few things it isn't so bad.  Just starting thinking quality over quantity with your trips to the grocery store.  Maybe that super pack of potatoes is a great deal, but maybe you really only need 2 for dinner and not 40 for the next couple months.

I've been living with my girlfriend for the past few years. We go to the supermarket for groceries 2-4 times per week, depending on our purchases and needs. I'm generally careful when picking items that will be consumed and not expire or go bad in my fridge and avoid going on a junk food shopping spree because not only is it a huge waste of money, but also because eating junk has no nutritional benefits.

My largest issue, however, is that I'm constantly finding myself throwing out food. It's not that we're making excessive purchases during our supermarket trips, it's just poor food management. I don't know what to call it. We'll buy a few apples, eat one or two the first two days, and then completely forget about the rest until they get bad and are thrown away. This is way more common when buying marmalade, toasts, and drinks in general. We're literally throwing a bag full of groceries at least once a month or two. Not only is it a shame, but it also costs too much money, especially in our day and age.

The worst part about food waste, though, is not the one occurring from individual consumers but from businesses such as hotels or supermarkets. Until recently, I was working for a large supermarket chain, you can't imagine how much perfectly good-to-eat food and supplies were thrown away either because they didn't look good for the customers or had damaged packaging. It's heartbreaking. If only such organizations bothered to give away these products to people and institutions.

How would you deal with food waste on a personal level, and what other action should be taken from businesses in order to reduce food waste? Do you have any tips you use? I can't see any more food expiring in my fridge, it's a huge waste of resources.