Discover practical strategies to reduce food waste at home. Take control, make smart choices and become part of the revolution against waste.
Food waste starts in our dustbin!
Did you know that according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) about a third of all food produced annually is wasted? But before you think that we can only blame the industry for this permanent situation, it’s time to take your responsibility in this number, whether at home or in the choices you make when buying.
Let’s do an exercise? Look at your trash can: was it there that a yogurt that was forgotten in the back of the fridge ended up? It’s waste. Is that where you find parsley stalks and broccoli leaves? It’s waste. You made a generous portion of a stew, but after 2 days of always eating the same thing, you end up getting lost in a box and your crate is the most certain final destination? It’s waste!
Oh yes, because as my mother would say “throwing food away is the same as throwing money into the bin”. My tactics to avoid and reduce food waste at home as much as possible are practical things, which not only allow you to avoid waste but also save.
Open the cupboards, the fridge and the freezer, and try to use EVERYTHING you have.
Sometimes it seems like a herculean task but believe me, it will awaken your creativity. You’ll see that at the bottom of the freezer is an incredible storage of ingredients. And maybe this way we will put an end to those pasta packages of a thousand formats that are already at an end.
Make a shopping list.
It sounds like that super old tip, but think like this: you arrive at the supermarket and you don’t remember if you have carrots; shopping for carrots; there are too many carrots at home and you store on top of them the ones you just bought; you end up using the latest carrots; After 2 weeks there are soft and musty carrots in the fridge with the destination already certain. Making a list and arranging purchases in order of expiration date and seniority at home helps not to duplicate items and to effectively consume them all.
Make smart choices.
If you choose yogurts with the longest shelf life, even if they are to be eaten that same week, or you always choose apples with smooth skin and no texture, then you also contribute to much of the waste that is generated on the retailer’s side. Choose according to your needs and remember, spots or streaks on the skin of the fruit are as normal as the ones we have.
Do your best, do your part. Small changes impute great progress!
