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How To Reduce Food Waste (& Save Money)

by James Flint on April 23, 2022
Reduce Food Waste

 

Food waste is a huge problem all over the world. According to UNEP, global food waste is approximately 1.3 billion tonnes or roughly 1/3 of all the food we produce globally. On a global scale, food wastage has huge consequences. For instance, the wasted food that ends up in landfills contributes to global warming. Food waste causes about 8-10% of the greenhouse gases.

Additionally, discarding edible food also wastes freshwater, land, fossil fuels, and human resources. In our localities, wasted food is a massive contributor to the menace that is waste management. It makes sense to reduce food waste, which inadvertently will save you money.

In What Ways Food is Wasted?

Food waste occurs in all stages of the supply chain. Some of the ways we waste food include:

  • Food losses at the farms
  • Food losses on fishing boats
  • Discarded food in packing and processes warehouses
  • Food losses in the local and global transport and distribution networks
  • Food that's past its use-by dates and offcuts at home and in restaurants
  • Cooked food that's uneaten that's thrown away in the foodservice industry and at home

Why Reducing Food Waste is Important?

The statistics around food waste indicate that we face a huge problem that needs solving. There's no reality where wasting about a third of all the food we produce can be okay, bearing in mind the human resources, the fertilisers, the fossil fuel, and much more that goes into producing the wasted food.

That being said, there are plenty of reasons we should work on reducing food waste, including:

Helps Combat Climate Change – With food waste contributing as much as 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, reducing food waste will help fight climate change. The little effort you take to reduce food waste will go a long way to reduce your greenhouse gases emissions. The collaborative effort of all consumers, distributors, and producers of food products can help lower the amount of food we waste. Such efforts will help combat global warming and climate change, which is increasingly a constant issue of concern locally and globally. Reduces

The Financial Impact Of Food Wastage – Food waste occasioned by losses on the farm, spoilage during transportation, losses during processing, and losses in restaurants and at home are substantial money losers. Naturally, taking steps to reduce the amount of food we waste across all levels will help reduce the financial impact of food waste. At a household level, savings made by reducing food waste can have long-term benefits. The accrued benefits of buying only the necessary foods will mean more money in your bank account, which can only be a good thing.

Helps To Conserve Energy And Other Resources – It takes a lot of resources and manpower to produce, process, transport, and prepare wasted food. Any time food goes to waste means that all the resources that go into producing the food also go to waste. Reducing food waste will lower the demand for food. Consequently, there will be no overproduction of food, which helps conserve resources.

Reduce Food Waste

How To Waste Less Food?

1). Smart Shopping/Don't Overbuy – Research has shown that buying food in bulk leads to overbuying and food wastage.

2). Store Your Food Correctly – Improper food storage is another leading cause of food wastage. Learn how to correctly store various fresh food items, including fruits and vegetables.

3). Make The Most Of What You Have – Always check what you have in your fridge and cupboards before heading to the supermarket. Avoid buying more food items of the products you already have at home.

4). Compost Your Kitchen Scraps – Rather than binning food waste, practice home-based composting to reduce the amount of food waste in landfills.

5). Avoid Being A Perfectionist When Buying Food Items – Don't bin ugly fruits and veggies at home. In the same light, please don't pass up ugly vegetables and fruits simply because they're not stunningly beautiful. More often than not, they offer the same nutritional value.

6). Be Creative With Your Offcuts – Make homemade stock with vegetable stalks, peels, tops, and other leftovers.

7). Size Up Portions – Don't oversize the portion size. Serving bigger portion sizes than necessary increases the potential for food wastage.

8). Batch Cook And Freeze – Batch cooking food during weekends and freeze it. This protects your food from going bad, helping you reduce food wastage.

Final Thoughts

Solving the issue of food waste will need concerted efforts from all global citizens. As a global citizen, consider using our garbage tips to reduce as much food waste as possible. Not only will you be doing a service to humanity (by helping to combat global warming), but you will also help reduce the wastage of your monetary resources.

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At Goods that Give, our focus is on providing high-quality products that serve their purpose while protecting the environment. We appreciate the value of using resources, including food, prudently for the continued sustenance of humans and other living beings. Shop our environmentally friendly products that add value to your life and protect Mother Nature. We have many things you need to go green, from cooking, dental care, pet care, laundry, and much more. 

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