Let’s Start 2022 Avoiding Food Waste

Did you know that food waste, involves wasted seeds, feed, water, investment, and even labor? If you didn’t, today is a good day to realize that producing food requires many different resources and efforts, and processing it and transporting is also energy-intensive! This is why wasting food translates into greenhouse emissions and therefore into climate change. But what can we do about it?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, between harvest and retail alone, around 14% of all food produced globally is lost. However, it is worth highlighting the difference between food waste and food loss. When food is lost from harvest to retail, it is called food loss, but waste at the consumer or retail level is food waste.

Only in the United States, food waste represents almost 29% of trash each year. At a global level, approximately one-third of all the food that is produced is wasted, meaning 1.3 billion tonnes of food are discarded every year. Also in the USA, according to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each person produces 4.6 tonnes of garbage per day, meaning 230 million tonnes of trash per year.

But how does this waste affect all of us? Food that you end up throwing in the trash, goes to landfills and produced methane gas while it rots. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas, and therefore it causes climate change! If you are wondering how to help, The Woman Post brings you great tips to play your part in stopping climate change:

1. Make a Shopping List and Stick to It!

Overbuying is common since we often go to the supermarket just to see what we can get. However, buying without awareness of what we need and what we can still use at home, can lead us to increase food waste. 

2. Pick the Ugly Fruit and Veggies Too

If all of us buy the shiniest and flawless veggies, what happens to the other ones? They probably end up in landfills. Besides, going for the most mature fruits is a good idea for freezing them and using them for nutritious smoothies!

3. Compost the Food Leftovers That You Will Not Use

If composting sounds like too much trouble for you, there are no excuses. You can always make some research about local companies that could collect your food waste every week to turn them into compost!

Also read: SUNLIGHT AND AIR CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO GREEN AIRCRAFT FUEL

4. Donate Food That You No Longer Want

You can sometimes feel like you no longer crave food that’s in your fridge. In this case, make sure to give it away to people that will eat it, before it's too late!

5. Make Sure To Understand the Dates on Food

Even though manufacturers put labels such as “best by” or “sell by”, you should bear in mind that these dates give you a general idea but food can still be edible after them. Trust your senses to identify when food is no longer good. 

6. Use the Skin of Fruits and Veggies

We tend to throw away the skin or fruits and vegetables when cooking. However, many nutrients are contained in their outer layer. For instance, apple peels contain triterpenoids which are antioxidants and fight cancer! So next time, don’t peel fruits, potatoes, vegetables, or eggplants, be sure to ingest all of their nutrients.

If you know of more creative ways to prevent food waste, tag us with the hashtag #TheWomanPost on social media. You can find us on Twitter and Instagram as @The_WomanPost, and on Facebook as The Woman Post.