Stop the Rot: How to Avoid Food Waste

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 135
Stop the Rot
How to Avoid Food Waste
 
For most of us that live in a developed country and have an adequate income, we never think much about having enough to eat. However, there are millions of people in the world that go hungry and millions more that experience food insecurity.  We don’t think about it because we don’t see it. It is out of sight, out of mind. 
 
In the face of such widespread hunger and food insecurity there is also a tremendous amount of food that is wasted. In fact, if we were able to recover all the food that is wasted, we could solve hunger on a global scale. But once again, it is out of sight, out of mind. 
 
In an effort to address this issue, I wanted to focus an episode on how to avoid food waste. 
 
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E135 which is called Stop the Rot: How to Avoid Food Waste. 
 
First off I want my listeners to think about this episode in the context of sustainability simply because truly living a sustainable life means you take responsibility for every thing you choose to do and everything you choose not to do. In my opinion, if every person in the world lived their lives in that manner many of our global problems simply would not exist. 
 
In this episode I first want to discuss a few numbers in an effort to give you an appreciation of how hunger and food insecurity is a wide spread and global problem. That will be the back drop in my continued discussion of how much food we actually waste. Hopefully, having knowledge of these two things will motivate my listeners to eliminate their own food waste. 
 
As far as food waste is concerned I am going to discuss some of the most commonly wasted foods and how to avoid this sort of waste. Then I am going to give you 12 additional tips on reducing your own food waste. And in the end I will share with you exactly what I did to reduce my own food waste. 
 
So, let’s get too it. 
 
First out of the gate, I want to take two developed countries as a good example. Then I want to talk briefly about some global statistics. 
 
Food insecurity is defined as lack of adequate access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development as well as having an active and healthy life. Food insecurity is typically affected by income level, employment status, race/ethnicity, and the presence of any sort of disability. 
 
Based on Canadian survey data that focused on income levels in that country, 5.8 million Canadians, including 1.4 million children, lived in food-insecure households in 2021. This is roughly 15% of the population. The organization responsible for the survey is called Statistics Canada which monitors the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity through population surveys. 
 
In the United States 34 million people are food insecure and this includes 9 million children. That is approximately 10% of our population. In 2021 53 million people had the assistance of some sort of food program. There are over 3,000 counties in the United States. There are people experiencing food insecurity in 100% of those counties. 
 
While hunger and food insecurity for most of us may be out of sight out of mind, hunger is so much closer than you think. 
 
On a global scale, one in nine people experience food insecurity. Approximately 828 million people are experiencing acute hunger while 2.3 billion people face less extreme but still dangerous levels of food insecurity. That is approximately 29% of our global population. It is estimated that 9 million people die from hunger every year. 
 
Now I want to share with you a quick story that I have discussed before but at this point I think it is relevant. A few years ago I was working in a small community in Arizona. The practice owners were good friends of mine and I had known them for many years. Once a week I would get together with Andy, who was one of the owners, and we would go out to dinner and just enjoy each other company. On one evening Andy related an incredible story to me that I will never forget. 
 
Andy had lunch at a local restaurant that was one of his favorites because he had known the owner for many years. While he was there the police had to be called to remove a belligerent customer. This person was irate over the fact that the cook had served him French fries with his meal instead of whatever side it was that he had ordered. This man wanted to get into a fist fight over a simple mistake that could have been corrected with a please and thank you. 
 
A couple of hours after Andy left the restaurant he got a call from some friends that were in from out of town. These folks were doing missionary work in South Africa and they were in town for a few weeks to visit friends and family. They had invited Andy to go to lunch. When he met with them he discovered they had adopted a young South African girl that had been an orphan.  When they were served their meal this young girl started leaning over her plate of food and looking around the restaurant. When she was asked if there was a problem, she simple said, “So people here get to eat more than once a day?” 
 
Now I think this story is a great illustration of the extremes that exist in our world that for most of us are out of sight out of mind. So, think about that the next time you throw away perfectly good food. 
 
In E23 Waste Not, Want Not, Pollute Not, I talked extensively about food waste. So, I am not going to dwell on that here beyond giving a short discussion. 
 
In the US approximately 40% of all food in our supply chain is wasted. Food waste occurs at every step of production, harvesting, delivery, as well as at the household level. Household food waste accounts for approximately 40% of all food wasted in this country. 
 
What this means is 119 billion pounds of food is wasted every year. Each one of us wastes 238 pounds of food every year. Our food waste costs us $408 billion annually and this waste equates to 130 billion meals. That is enough food to feed a small Central American country for over 200 years. And yet we throw it all away. 
 
In Canada food waste costs the country $49 billion annually. Each household throws away 140kg of food yearly. This is about 308 pounds yearly. 
 
In the UK 7 million tons of food is wasted annually. 
 
But it does not stop there. China and India are the most wasteful countries in the world. These countries waste 92 million and 69 million metric tons of food every year, respectively. 
 
If you want to know more about the extensive nature of food waste then go back and listen to E23. One thing that I now realize after going back and looking at that episode is that I was totally remiss in not providing solutions to our food waste problem. That was in part the motivation behind producing this episode. 
Keep in mind that while we may not be able to correct the supply chain problems that cause food waste, we cannot correct the food waste problems in restaurants and in supermarkets but we can do something about what goes to in our own households.
 
Let’s start by talking about the most common foods that go to waste and how to avoid it.
 
#1 Bread
 
On a global scale 900,000 tons of bread are wasted every year. The biggest culprit resulting in this amount of waste is buying too much and improper storage. So, obviously it is best to purchase only what you need. Make sure to not store bread in the refrigerator since lower temperatures tend to extract more moisture which causes bread to go stale much faster. 
 
Quick fixes for leftover bread:
-Freeze it. I do this all the time. When I make bread I freeze the extra. When I purchase soon to be expired bread in the marked down section of the supermarket, I freeze it since it is already close to the expiration date. 
 
-Take old bread and make home made croutons. Again, this is something I do regularly. Instead of freezing the reduced price bread I purchase at the supermarket, I immediately turn it into croutons which have a much longer shelf life. 
 
-Dry crusty bread can also be placed in the food processor and turned into bread crumbs for cooking. 
 
#2 Milk
The second most frequently wasted food is milk. In the US an estimated 45 million gallons of milk is wasted annually. This is the equivalent of 68 Olympic sized swimming pools.
 
In Canada, 74 million liters of milk was dumped in Ontario alone. That is the equivalent of roughly 19.5 million gallons. Because the dairy industry in Canada is strictly regulated, dairy farmers have a set quota on what they can produce. Milk prices are kept high so that they can make a decent living. If they exceed their quota, they have to dump the milk. 
 
Tips to Reduce Milk Waste
 
-Reduce portion sizes. Try to think about how much you are going to need and how long you are going to need it for. If needed, purchase much smaller portions. 
 
-Keep milk in the original packaging. Changing packaging can actually cause milk to deteriorate faster. I noticed this when I would put milk in smaller glass containers so it would conveniently fit in the refrigerator in my travel trailer. 
 
-Refrigerate it properly. Store milk in a colder part of the refrigerator, not in the door. Even small changes in temperature can reduce the shelf life of milk by as much as 80%
 
-Freeze it. You can also freeze extra milk. Once thaw it may have a slightly different texture but it still tastes the same. 
 
-Purchase powdered milk. This is something I started doing recently. I decided to try powdered whole milk on the recommendation of a friend of mine. It is by far the best powdered milk I have ever tasted. Having this on hand means I make up only what I need. 
 
-If you have extra milk then make a fruit smoothie, rice pudding or even turn it into buttermilk by adding 3 teaspoons of white vinegar per cup of milk. 
 
#3 Potatoes
The third most commonly wasted food is potatoes.  We throw away 6 million potatoes each year. This is hard to believe because potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables with a shelf life of 3 to 4 weeks if stored in a cool dark place and up to 3 months if refrigerated. It is hard to believe that 3 billion pounds of potatoes are wasted every year. This is enough to feed nearly half the worlds population. 
 
Tips to Reduce Potato Waste
 
To prevent waste, it is best to store potatoes in a cool, dark place so that they will last longer. If your potatoes are starting to get old, cook them and then freeze them. They can be baked, grated, then frozen for ready to go hash browns. Another good way to prevent waste is to make potato cakes. You can also sauté them for a quick dinner or cut them into wedges, roast them and then freeze them. 
 
It is also best to store potatoes and onions separately. Storing them together will cause both vegetables to sprout faster. 
 
 
#4 Cheese
 
Cheese is another food that commonly goes to waste. Wasted cheese is just as silly as wasted potatoes because it has an incredibly long shelf life. If it gets moldy on the edges just cut that part off and the rest is typically still edible. Cheese is incredibly versatile and can be used in numerous dishes so there is no excuse for it to go to waste. It is one of the few dairy products that has a long shelf life. 
 
Wasted cheese has an incredible environment impact. It takes approximately 1.25 gallons of milk or about 10 pounds to make one pound of cheese. In metric terms, it takes 10 liters of milk to make 1 kilogram of cheese. When cheese is wasted we are also wasting all the  energy, water, time, and money that went into making it. The live stock has to be cared for, the milk has to be processed, the cheese is produced and then transported to the supermarket. All of this is wasted when we throw away cheese. 
 
Tips to Reduce Wasted Cheese
It is so easy to eliminate wasted cheese. First and foremost is to consider limiting your use of cheese. Consider it a treat instead of something you use every single day. But cheese is also incredibly versatile and it freezes well. But, it you freeze it in a block once it is thawed it tends to crumble when you slice it. It freezes much better if it is grated. Whenever cheese goes on sale I typically buy extra and then freeze it. 
 
#5 Apples 
 
Apples are next on the list for the most commonly wasted food. Canadians waste more than a million apples everyday. Americans waste nearly 3.7 trillion apples annually. 
 
Tips to reduce waste
Apples are best stored in a cool dry place. The crisper drawer in your refrigerator is best. If you are going to consume them within a few days, you can store them on your counter or in a hanging basket. 
Older soft apples can easily be turned into apple sauce or chop them and make an apple crisp.  You can also boil apple peels with a stick of cinnamon to make a great cup of apple tea. 
 
One of the most common things I do is purchase apples in bulk and then dehydrate them. Once cooled, I store them in an airtight glass jars and put them in my cellar. I still have dried apples in my cellar that I dehydrated 7 years ago. I use them as snacks, add them to granola and oatmeal. 
 
#6 Bananas
 
Bananas are also a food that commonly gets wasted. They have a tendency go from yellow to over ripe in a flash. But that does not mean they have to go to waste. 
 
Instead of purchasing bananas in a bunch, purchase single bananas with varying degrees of ripeness. That way they are ready to eat at various times during the week so they don’t get wasted. 
 
Over ripe bananas are perfect for banana bread. They also go great in smoothies. You can also slice bananas the freeze them to use in smoothies later or mash them to be used in pancakes.  
 
To slow down the ripening process store bananas separately. If they are stored in a bowl with other fruit, the ethylene gas from the fruit speeds up ripening. Ripe bananas also release ethylene gas that causes other fruit to ripen faster. 
 
#7 Leafy Greens
 
Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and kale also commonly go to waste. These vegetables contain high humidity which causes them to wilt faster. To prevent this, either wrap them in a moist cloth or store them in a freezer bag. 
 
Greens such as spinach and kale can easily be blended into a smoothie. You can also turn them into a homemade pesto. 
 
#8 Rice 
 
Rice is also another commonly wasted food. It seems as if whenever you cook rice there is always leftovers. But the good news is that because of its bland flavor, it can be mixed with almost anything. 
 
Left over rice can be mixed into soups. It is perfect to put into a burrito. It can be mixed with eggs for breakfast. Place it into a hot skillet to make fried rice. It can be mixed with meat to make a stir fry. It can also be mixed with leafy greens and/or meat to make a rice bowl. 
 
#9 Seafood such as tuna, shrimp, and salmon
 
Aquaculture produces about 80 million tons of fish every year. Marine fisheries produce about 79 million tons and freshwater fisheries about 11.6 million tons. 
 
What most people do not know is that the inefficiency of fishing boats is absolutely staggering. Not only are most places in the world over fished at this point but approximately 30% of all captured fish is either thrown away or rots on the decks before it is even sold. That amounts to about 50 million tons of food. 
 
#10 Chicken, beef, and pork
 
Likely you already know that animal production as a protein source has a much greater environmental impact relative to a plant based diet. On top of the that, the amount of meat we waste annually equals approximately 12 billion animals globally.  The unnecessary environment impact due to the staggering amount of wasted animal meat is absolutely incredible.  
 
Now, these are just some of the most common foods that are wasted. There is of course much more than what I have presented here. I want to shift gears a bit at this point and give some general tips on how to reduce food waste at home. 
 
Tips on How to Reduce Food Waste
 
Tip #1 Plan your meals
 
First and foremost, be sure to plan your meals. Check your refrigerator, cupboards and freezer prior to making your shopping list so that you can use what you already have at home. Planning your meals will help to limit what you purchase and consequently limit your potential waste.
 
Tip #2 Eat your leftovers
 
The next tip is to simply eat your left overs. If you are not going to eat left overs within a reasonable amount of time, them freeze them. 
 
Furthermore, if you are not a big fan of eating left overs then limit the size of the meals you cook.
 
Tip #3 Shop more frequently
 
If possible, go to the supermarket more frequently. By doing so you can purchase food in smaller quantities especially the perishable items such as fruits and veggies. But if you use this tactic be sure to make a list and stick to it. Otherwise, more frequent shopping trips means you are more likely to buy unnecessary items.  
 
Tip #4 Utilize your freezer
 
After cooking a large meal if you are unsure when you will eat the leftovers, put it in the freezer. Just about anything can be frozen with the exception of vegetables with high water content such as lettuce and cucumbers. 
 
One other thing that I commonly do is to cook a large meal with the intention of freezing some of it. This is especially true with soups, stews, and chilis. But I also do this with left over meat at the holidays such as turkey and ham. The frozen extras make great, healthy convenience foods for those days when you don’t have time to cook. 
 
Tip #5 Use your produce smarter
 
This is something I mentioned a littler earlier in reference to bananas. Buying produce in varying stages of ripeness allows you to have fresh produce all week long. If you have a tendency to waste the more perishable items, such as strawberries, then purchase frozen so it will keep indefinitely. Also, take advantage of the longer shelf life of certain vegetables  such as squash, beets, pears, cabbage, radishes, carrots, and onions. Since these keep longer you can plan meals using these veggies for later in the week. 
 
Tip #6 Don’t peel your vegetables
 
Peeling vegetables and fruits is a waste of time, money, energy and nutrients. There are a lot of valuable, healthy calories in those peels that we tend to throw away. Instead of peeling, give them a good wash instead. 
 
We literally throw alway millions of tons of perfectly good food just because we insist on peeling them.  
 
Tip #7 Donate Food
 
If you have extra food that you are not going to eat, then give it away. Left over cake, muffins, rolls can be given to friends and neighbors. Take extra juice and milk to your work place. Donate extra goods to your local food bank. If you have fruit trees that are brimming over with good fruit, give it away. 
 
Some years ago, I was working in a small community in Arizona. There were numerous people around that had huge apples trees with so much fruit it was falling on the ground and rotting. I knocked on a few doors, introduced myself and politely asked if I could pick some apples. After making a few pies, and canning some, I dehydrated enough apples to last me nearly 10 years.
 
Tip #8 Take advantage of composting
 
Composting is a great way to keep organic material out of the landfill. If you do end up with perishable items that go to waste, instead of throwing it in the trash bin, compost it. At least you will get some use out it if it only means organic fertilizer. 
 
If you live in an apartment or flat and cannot have an outdoor compost bin, then compost with a worm bin. We keep a worm compost bin in the corner of the cabin all the time. It is completely odor free. If you want more information, then go back and listen to E 108 which is called Composting with Worms. 
 
Tip #9 Buy ugly
 
Fruits and vegetables that have physical imperfections or blemishes often go to waste because people think they are not fresh and safe to eat. This is simply not true. They are perfectly safe and you can often purchase them at discount prices. 
 
I once walked into a supermarket and found an enormous shelf with bananas that looked ugly. They were being sold at a 75% discount. I purchase nearly 20 pounds of bananas and made homemade banana chips that lasted me for months. 
 
Tip #10  Know which dates are important
 
There are typically two dates on food, either a “best before” date or a “Use by” date. Unfortunately, more than 80% of Americans throw away perfectly good food because they do not understand the date label on the package. 
The “best before” date has to do with food quality. You can consume food after this date but it may not be at its peak freshness and quality. 
 
The “use by” date has to do with food safety. These dates are commonly used for meat, seafood, and chilled ready to eat foods. Foods should not be consumed after the “use by” date unless they have been frozen before hand. 
 
Of course you have to use some common sense on this. The best way to be safe with food is “If in doubt throw it out.” But, don’t throw food away just because of the date. Not understanding the date labels on food accounts for 20% of our total food waste. I have personally seen people toss perfectly good food in the garbage just because of the date label. 
 
Tip #11 Check the temperature in your refrigerator and freezer
 
Food often spoils due to be stored at an improper temperature. Your refrigerator should be at 40 degree F, or 4.4 degrees Celsius, or below. The freezer should be a 0 degrees F, or  -17.8 degrees Celsius or below. 
 
Tip #12 Take advantage of technology
 
The USDA has a Food keeper app that has tons of information on how long foods last in the freezer and how to safely store a variety of foods. Download this app and take advantage of the technology.
 
Summary
 
It is truly hard to believe that nearly 40% of the food in our supply chain gets wasted every year. That is enough food to feed the world’s 800 million starving people twice over. 
 
Did you know that 35% of edible turkey meat at Thanksgiving ends up in the garbage. This is the equivalent of 93 million kilograms or 204 million pounds.  The Thanksgiving holiday accounts for 305 million pounds of food waste. Furthermore, during the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, food waste increases by 25%.
 
Additionally, the environmental impact of our wasted food is incredible. One year’s worth of food waste in the United States alone amounts to the greenhouse gas emissions of 42 coal fired power plants. This food waste uses enough water and energy to supply more than 50 million homes. The production of the food that is wasted annually uses enough agricultural land to equal the size of the state of California and New York put together. The amount of fertilizer used on the food is enough to grow all the plant based foods we would need to supply the country for one year. 
 
Making small changes to reduce your food waste will make an incredible difference. In E 133 I discussed 21 ways to save money at the supermarket. I was inspired to produce that episode after I realized just how much money I was spending every month on food. However, I think the best place to start is to first focus on reducing your food waste.
 
So, this was one of the first things I did. I focused on many to the tips I provided in this episode. I starting freezing more left overs. I started going through my refrigerator and rotating food twice weekly. Since I love to cook I often cook too much food. So, I started cooking smaller meals more frequently so we would still have a variety of left overs and dramatically reduce our food waste as well.  Any food I found in the refrigerator that showed diminishing quality was cooked first. That meant I may not always cook what I really wanted. 
 
As I have so often said before, despite how I live I am not perfect and still have things to learn. But, just by paying attention and being more diligent, over the course of one month we threw out 1 slice of cornbread, two muffins, 1 hamburger patty, and one cup of chili. During that month we cooked a 13 pound turkey and used it to create 20 different meals. And that turkey only cost us $18 USD. 
 
Many of us so often sit at home thinking and wondering about where the world is going these days. What most of us never think about is that we actually have a choice. Remember that each of us is responsible for every thing we choose to do and everything we choose not to do. 
 
That said, we can choose to see only doom or we can choose to take action and strive for a better future. We too often think there is nothing we can do as individuals to reduce climate change and environmental degradation. We think it is beyond our reach. Well, if you can reach for your refrigerator then making a difference in the world is also within your reach. Reducing our food waste is a prime example of an easy way we can all take action to change our impact on the world. It is truly that easy.
 
Well folks, I truly hope you will take this episode to heart and it inspires you to make some changes. Please take advantage of the references I have listed in the transcript of this episode because there is a lot of further reading there that will help you get on your way. 
 
Hunger and food insecurity is a global problem that we can solve. Food waste is a global problem that we can solve. We all have a choice. We can choose to fret over our global problems and see only doom or we can choose to take action and strive for a better future. 
 
Live simple. Live waste free. Be sustainable. 
 
Until next week, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 
 
Patrick
 
References
Four Ways to Make Your Produce Last Longer
USDA Food Keeper app
12 Food Storage Tips to Make Your Groceries Last Longer
Confused by Date Labels on Packages Food?
Understanding Date Labels on Packaged Food
 
Patrick