Tomorrow is International "End Food Waste D... - Healthy Eating

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Tomorrow is International "End Food Waste Day"

21 Replies

Hi everyone,

This is something that comes up time and time again about food waste. A small amount of waste must be inevitable in journey form field to table but we can all play our part by being mindful of our shopping habits especially with fresh produce as often we are faced with more in a pack than we really need or want which is one issue with convenience pre packed fruit and veg.

My favourite packaged fruit is a carton of raspberries and as they are quite expensive you don't get many in a carton so its easy to eat them before their sell by date.

Here's a link to the UnitedNations End Food Waste day for more info:

un.org/en/observances/end-f...

I find I have the odd potato leftover when I buy some more but often freeze a batch so there's no waste. And I'd say that my food waste is minimal especially as I have a compost bin so it doesn't have to be collected entailing more work and energy to dispose of. I also keep a good selection of frozen veg so I only cook what I want and this saves a lot of waste as they're ready to cook.

I'd really like to hear other members ways of not wasting food as we can all inspire and encourage one another with this as the amount of food wasted is around 14% and that would fill a lot of bellies.

21 Replies
Kitten-whiskers profile image
Kitten-whiskersAdministratorVegan star

What an important post Jerry, It sounds like you are doing extremely well keeping your waste down and to have a compost Bin as well - is a very good idea.

For cutting down on waste - I always do my main shop near to the weekend so I have time to batch cook most of the fresh items, If I do have veg remaining I always freeze it or make soup, and with fruit I make smoothies.

I was reading an article the other day that you can use the banana skin for cooking - there was a lovely recipe for Vegan Meatless Balls made with the skin of the banana, I would think best to buy Organic Bananas if you were going to eat the peel

Best wishes

Debs

in reply toKitten-whiskers

Thanks Debs and you are well organised so good for you.

This is also interesting about banana skins as they’re using banana blossom in batter as a plant based alternative to fish and chips:

elephantasticvegan.com/bana...

I think that we all feel that we could do better when made aware of statistics like this as I know I do.

Kitten-whiskers profile image
Kitten-whiskersAdministratorVegan star in reply to

I completely agree with you Jerry

Isinatra profile image
Isinatra

When I read your comments, my brain went into over drive. Which it does sometimes. As conscientious as consumers are about waste, what about the food that isn’t purchased? Does it go to waste because of over production? I’m sorry if I may have wandered off topic, but that’s where my brain went. 🤷‍♀️

in reply toIsinatra

Hello Isinatra I think that you are right as this is to end food waste so it’s not just conscientious consumers but every step in the food chain from the fields to our plates that have to be scrutinised.

Isinatra profile image
Isinatra in reply to

👍🏼🌎

happytulip profile image
happytulip

I'm a big fan of raspberries but am a total convert to frozen ones after hearing a programme on radio 4 about the nutritional content of frozen Vs fresh.

The good thing about frozen raspberries (I use Tesco) is that it is cheaper, better in nutritional value apparently and you just defrost what you need and as long as it's defrosted in the fridge they don't go all soggy. That way I always have a supply and no waste. They have other frozen fruit too. There mango is pretty good.

in reply tohappytulip

This is a great tip happytulip as I do sometimes freeze a punnet for another day but this is better organised and as you say zero waste. So thanks I’ll check out their frozen fruit. 🍓

happytulip profile image
happytulip in reply to

They are excellent to whizz up straight from the freezer with milk or dairy alternative to make a lassi. I've been living off them recently. I highly recommend them.

We have a food recycling bin but with a cat in residence it's rare there's any food that's thrown out!

We enjoy things like tinned fruit and veg which we keep in the cupboard for standby along with baked beans and take an inventory of the fridge, freezer and pantry to make sure we just buy what we need and leave it at that.

Tonight we had a breakfast hash for dinner to use up what was there in the pantry which was beans and sweet potatoes in the hash which we enjoyed.

in reply to

I think you value food and avoid wasting it really well catgirl and having pets helps as they love our leftovers.

I think that a tin of beans is a great versatile food to have in our food cupboards.

HungryHufflepuff profile image
HungryHufflepuffMeal Of The Month

There is so much food waste 😞 I try to not waste anything and always feel guilty when I do. Most fruit and veg can be frozen, or cooked and frozen. A cabbage stalk or broccoli stalk can go into a soup and the hard bit (if it hasn’t cooked down) can be picked out, you’ll have the nutrients in your soup, and the cooked stalk can go out for the birds. Any water from cooking veg can be kept to use in soups. Most cooked food can be frozen, or added into the next days meal. I usually have lots of pots and things in foil in my fridge with random leftover bits that will go with something the next day. If your fridge is cold, most things will keep for several days. Anything I can’t use goes out in the compost, or for the birds and wild rabbits, also I have 6 rescue sheep and they’re quite partial to veg too (though sometimes it feels like I’m getting their leftover scraps!)

in reply toHungryHufflepuff

Hi HungryHufflepuff you’ve hit the nail on the head saying that you feel guilty wasting food as I think that the majority of HE members feel the same. So you have taken things another step further as you’ve thought thus through.

I really admire you for having 6 rescue sheep they’re very sensitive animals. 🐑

A great, thought provoking post Jerry. For all my many faults, large scale food wastage isn't one of them. I grew up in quite a poor family and I learned the art of buying and cooking fairly frugally. One thing I do think that gets done quite a lot and isn't for me, is using a small quantity of a leftover in another dish rather than throwing it away. I now know it's best to just dump it than to waste other ingredients turning it into a new dish which in all likelihood won't get eaten either. On the other hand I do know that I don't have to waste the peelings from my pineapples. If steeped in a jug of water stored in the fridge for a few days, a really pleasant tasting drink develops from something I once just routinely discarded.

in reply to

Thank you Sue, I also think that you’re right that it’s often best to use fresh food unless you gave leftovers as a side dish.

I love your tip on soaking pineapple peelings it sounds a delicious drink. 🍍

CBDB profile image
CBDB

A really interesting thread!

Particularly intrigued by

1) banana peel Re-use : I saw there was a brilliant recipe making something akin to pulled pork out of banana peels, but we’ve never tried it. But would be very interested in recipes using banana peel

2) buying frozen berries and fruit: this is a great tip. We often buy fresh ones and freeze them immediately. And yes, brilliant for icy smoothies or protein shakes.

3) batch cooking - our household definitely needs to do more of this.

Some ways we try to minimise food waste:

a) all veg stalks off cuttings go into the freezer for the next veg broth or soup

b) bought fresh berries go straight in freezer for smoothies

c) salads not quite fresh we use for stir fries

d) and I’ve downloaded an app that links food outlets, restaurants and stores and their unsold stuff with customers. We’ve actually never used it yet, but I think it’s such a great idea in tackling commercial food waste on a larger scale. It’s called “Too good to go”, and certainly in my small Cheshire (UK) town, there are always 2-3 shops offering low cost ‘magic bags’ with food (both fresh groceries or prepared food, depending on shop/restaurant).

Thanks all for some great ideas and inspiration!

in reply toCBDB

Hi CBDB, I agree we’ve had some great responses and yours is very well thought out reply with some great tips.

I’m fascinated in the uses for banana peel too as some fish n chips shops are selling banana blossom in batter for their vegan customers.

The too good to go App sounds a great initiative and I’d like to see more link ups with the big supermarkets food banks and charities that feed the homeless, so am impressed with this.

Here’s a link to get the too good to go app on Google or Apple:

toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb

Anything that helps us waste less of our valuable resources the better in my book.

Hi Hidden I'm pleased that you manage on your state pension as that is indeed happiness living well and within ones means.

There are families out there who are struggling so thank goodness for food banks and support mechanisms for them, like the' Too good to go App' mentioned in an above reply.

I appreciate that I can afford organic fruit veg butter and free range eggs and I think that this is important so that we don't take things for granted.

Hey I'm sorry Hidden but its not my place to judge others so we will have to agree to disagree on this.

Kitten-whiskers profile image
Kitten-whiskersAdministratorVegan star

That sounds interesting about roasting the banana skins, I was not aware of that.

I never buy Bananas in fresh form only dried so I can have with my cereal.

We do need to cut down on waste and recycle more

Best wishes

Debs

HungryHufflepuff profile image
HungryHufflepuffMeal Of The Month

Thank you for your comments, but you’re definitely too kind. I just try to do my best, and I suppose that’s the best we can do, or strive for anyway. 🐑

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