Food waste:

We are the problem and the solution

By Lionel Wijesiri

Here in Sri Lanka, we waste a shameful amount of food. The writer has seen estimates that Sri Lankans waste about 30 percent of the food that we produce. While some of that waste happens during processing, in restaurants, and even on the farm, the part that we as individuals can control is how much food we personally waste.

Wasted food is wasted money, and what’s worse is that the food waste that we send to landfills breaks down to produce methane, a greenhouse gas that’s far more harmful than carbon dioxide. Luckily, from your shopping cart or bag to your kitchen and even when you’re eating out, there are ways that you can waste less food to save money and protect the planet.

Impulsive buying is not advisable in the case of vegetables, fruits and fresh fish and meat

There are a number of benefits of reducing the amount of wasted food. It saves you money, from buying less food. It reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint. It conserves energy and resources, preventing pollution involved in the growing, manufacturing, transporting and selling of food (not to mention hauling the food waste and then land-filling it). It also supports your community by providing donated untouched food that would have otherwise gone to waste to those who might not have a steady food supply.

Guidelines

A few simple guidelines can help you save money and cut down on the amount of food that’s wasted at home. Unless you’re a kitchen ninja that can plan and measure out the exact portions for every meal you make, it’s likely you find yourself wasting good food because you didn’t plan right, you forgot about it, or you just had no idea what to do with it. Thankfully, it’s not too difficult to cut down on your kitchen waste.

Whether you’re cooking for 10 or for one, wasting food in the kitchen is easy no matter how strictly you plan everything. Of course, planning is the first and most important part, but if you’re no good at that, there are tips for organising your refrigerator and finding alternatives for food which are on their way out. Let’s start with the ever-important plan.

Shop wisely

Much of the food wastage in our kitchens is a result of simply buying too much or inadequate planning. To reduce the amount you throw away, check what’s in your fridge before you go shopping and plan your next meal around what needs to be eaten. Don’t forget to look at the back of the shelves and in those hidden corners. Put things in the freezer if you won’t be eating them soon.

Before you go shopping, think about what you will eat for the next few days and make a list of what you need. This will help you buy only what you need - minimising food waste and saving you money. Buy in quantities that you will use.

Keep a store of long-life basics in your cupboard such as pasta, rice, tinned fish or beans or frozen vegetables. This makes it easy to prepare a quick meal when you add a few fresh ingredients.

Store food correctly

Different foods have different storage needs. Correct food storage has a huge impact on the freshness and shelf-life of food. Keep your food fresh and avoid wasting energy by having your refrigerator set at the right temperature.

Keep a range of air-tight plastic containers for storing various foods once they have been opened or cooked. Keep old margarine and takeaway food containers including their lids for this purpose. Air-tight jars (ex. jam jars) are great for storing dry ingredients such as flour, rice or leftover liquids.

Here are some tips for storing food:

* Most vegetables keep best in the refrigerator - in the vegetable keeper if you have one. Once cut, vegetables are best stored in the fridge.

* Remove vegetables, herbs and mushrooms from plastic bags as they will ‘sweat’ and spoil.

* Store potatoes, onions and other root vegetables in a cool dry place. If your potatoes turn green, don’t eat them - put them in your compost or worm farm.

* Refrigerate raw meat immediately after purchase until it’s cooked. Keep meat in a sealed container so it doesn’t contaminate other food. Store it in the coldest part of your fridge (usually next to the coils).

* Store opened pasta, rice and cereals and other dry ingredients in air-tight plastic containers.

Cook only what you need

Try to cook only as much as will be eaten. A portion guide may help you to work out how much to cook for each person. If you have extras every night, adjust the amount you cook.

Use leftovers

Get inventive with leftovers and put even small amounts of leftovers in the fridge or freezer for a handy lunch or snack. There are plenty of websites with new and traditional recipes that make use of leftovers to provide nutritious and delicious meals. Keep leftovers for lunches or snacks, or as part of another meal. If you can’t use leftovers straight away, freeze them for later. Don’t reheat leftover food more than once.

With food waste forming over 25 percent of solid wastes, it is time to take a fresh look at its disposal

Be creative and invent your own recipes from what’s in the fridge. You can search for recipes online by key ingredients. Keep scraps for pets. Make sure the food is suitable - for example, onions are toxic to dogs. Chickens will dine on a variety of kitchen scraps. They’ll also provide fresh eggs, pest control and garden services.

Compost food scraps

You can turn food scraps into compost for your garden to reduce waste and return nutrients to your soil. You can compost most types of food waste including uncooked vegetables and scraps, fruit, salad, crushed egg shells and coffee grounds. It is not recommended that you put the following items in your compost as they do not break down quickly and can attract animals or vermin; dairy products, meat or fish, lemon or orange peels.Keep a small container for food scraps handy in your kitchen and empty it regularly into your compost bin. Cut up large pieces of food scraps as they will break down more quickly.

Grow your own food

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a great way of reducing some of the harmful gases produced by processing and transporting food. Not only is growing your own food rewarding - it tastes better too. Even if you don’t have a garden, it’s easy to grow a few fresh herbs or salad greens in a pot on your verandah or kitchen so they’re always on hand.

Instead of buying costly bunches of herbs at the supermarket that you may not use, you can snip off just a few leaves as you need them. The flavour of fresh herbs will give your meals a lift.

Food is a precious commodity, but it is not always treated that way in Sri Lanka. Simple lifestyle changes, such as keeping track of leftovers, recycling waste as compost and donating your surplus to the needy can have profound effects. We are already making progress in reducing food waste, but we need more of this type of initiatives if we are to significantly decrease the millions of tons of food that are thrown away each year.

Half of world food production wasted

A new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK has found that as much as 50 percent of all food produced around the world never reaches a human stomach due to issues as varied as inadequate infrastructure and storage facilities through to overly strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free offers and consumers demanding cosmetically perfect food.

With UN predictions that there could be about an extra three billion people to feed by the end of the century and increasing pressure on the resources needed to produce food, including land, water and energy, the Institution is calling for urgent action to tackle this waste.

The report ‘Global Food Waste Not Want Not’ found that:

* Between 30 percent and 50 percent or 1.2-2 billion tonnes of food produced around the world each year never reaches a human stomach;

* As much as 30 percent of UK vegetable crops are not harvested due to them failing to meet exacting standards based on their physical appearance, while up to half of the food that’s bought in Europe and the USA is thrown away by the consumer;

* About 550 billion m3 of water is wasted globally in growing crops that never reach the consumer;

* It takes 20-50 times the amount of water to produce a kilogram of meat than a kilogram of vegetables;

* The demand for water in food production could reach 10-13 trillion m3 a year by 2050. This is 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than the total human use of fresh water today and could lead to more dangerous water shortages around the world;

* There is the potential to provide 60-100 percent more food by eliminating losses and waste while at the same time freeing up land, energy and water resources.