Written by Madison Smeltzer

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been forced to slow down, rethink our priorities, spend more time with loved ones, foster our creative sides, and learn new skills and habits. We are reflecting on who we are and how our actions impact ourselves and the world around us.

Dr Mahadev Bhat urges us to take advantage of the time we have at home and educate ourselves and our families about our social responsibility towards one of the most basic things in life: food.

Globally, one-third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted, which is equal to $940 billion per year. Among that, household food waste is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions with 94% of waste ending up in landfills. Wasting food contributes to environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources, which threatens food security. The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that with every 1% slowdown of the global economy as a result of COVID-19, the number of food insecure people will increase by 2%, or 14 million people.

With food waste already being an urgent worldwide problem, add in the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. Household food waste continues to increase as people are spending a majority of their time at home. People are also more inclined to ‘panic buy’ and hoard food during this crisis, which is causing more food to go bad before it can be eaten, wasting both money and resources.

There is no indication that the food supply will run out so not only is it putting stress on the food system to meet this purchasing demand, but it is also putting stress on the people who have to manage waste. Waste collection services, including both waste to landfill and recycling, have had to reduce their employment and in some circumstances have stopped operating in certain areas.

Here are some quick and easy tips to avoid food waste at home:

Shopping

·                    Before going grocery shopping, check your cupboard, fridge, and freezer. Think of meals you can make from the food you already have.

·                    Plan out your meals for the week and write shopping list that includes the portion sizes of ingredients. This will help you from overbuying or buying food you don’t need. Also, plan to eat leftovers at the end of the week.

·                    Some foods are more perishable than others, so plan meals that incorporate both. Less perishable foods can be incorporated into meals later in the week.

Storing

·                    Make sure your refrigerator is set between 1 and 5°C.

·                    Don’t pack the fridge too full or you might forget what you bought. Storing food in clear containers will also help with this.

·                    Don’t wash berries until you want to eat them to prevent mold.

·                    Produce will spoil faster when they are around certain fruits. Store bananas, apples, and tomatoes by themselves and store fruits and vegetables in different bins. Find additional tips for storing fruits and vegetables longer.

·                    Freeze, pickle, or can extra fruits and vegetables.

·                    Understand the differences between “sell-by”, “use-by”, and “best-by” expiration dates. Best-by and use-by dates indicate when food is at its peak quality and flavor. Aside from infant formula, food should still be safe after these dates if stored correctly. Pay attention to change in odor, texture, and/or flavor to determine if food is spoiling.

Prepping

·                    Prep your perishable foods soon after shopping so they are ready for cooking.

·                    Freeze foods that you might not be able to eat in time. For example: sliced fruit, bread, and meat.

·                    Prepare and cook larger portions of meals. Freeze and save them for later in the week or month.

·                    Casseroles, stir-fries, soups, and smoothies are good ways to use leftover ingredients for meals and snacks.

·                    Vegetables and herbs that are going bad can be used to make broth.

Disposing

·                    Donate any leftover food to friends, family, or food banks.

Try to keep food scraps from going into landfill by composting your scraps. More info: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

·                    Continue recycling as much as possible to keep recycling services running and waste out of landfills. If your services have stopped, save recyclables for when they are running again.

In many ways, isolation is benefitting us and returning the environment to its natural state, but what happens when we return to “normal”? Improve your “normal” by taking some time to form habits that could dramatically reduce food waste!

*Madison Smeltzer is a student dietitian at Bond University in Queensland, Australia. She’s passionate about nutrition and food sustainability and she’s empowering others to change into a sustainable lifestyle.

Follow her: https://www.instagram.com/travellingdietitian/