When most people think green, their thoughts naturally turn to things like increasing energy efficiency and using alternative sources of energy. But this article is about how going green trims your waste.
From farm to fork, we waste 40 percent of our food. Each of us wastes food in some or other way, it is a worldwide phenomenon. It may be at the time of buying foodstuff or in the act of draining away the food stuff. Parties, hotels, restaurants, household almost everywhere the food wastage is being done. If this wastage is saved it can be utilized in a number of ways. Today, there is an urgent need for the humans to stop the wastage of food on this planet. Look carefully and you will see how each of us wastes so much food in so many different ways. To reduce waste, try these tips:
SHOP SMARTLY
Overbuying of foodstuff forms the first level of food wastage. We often get caught into the attractive label or discount trap, ending up buying more than what we actually need. To prevent this you should plan a week’s worth of dinners and make a detailed shopping list. The list must comprise of all the stuff needed in right proportions. One should also leave a few nights for leftovers or changing of plans. Stick to your list and be honest with yourself-don’t buy produce that often goes unused. Shopping smartly will also save you money that can be utilized elsewhere rather than on overbuying.
IN SIGHT, ALL RIGHT
Keeping food visible works wonders. The food you see is the food you pick. This trick can be learnt from various groceries stores or supermarkets-put the new groceries behind the older ones. One must avoid cluttered fridge and cabinets where the old items are pushed to the back by the newer ones. The older ones should also be properly managed to avoid their wastage. For example- coriander leaves, when not in use for a long time can be wrapped around a wet towel or tissue. This will keep the coriander leave away from drying. Foodstuff must be differently placed in the fridge, maintaining different sections for different kind of foodstuff so that the older ones are used before the fresh and new ones.
AVOID PORTION DISTORTION
It’s easy to take seconds, but we don’t often save what’s left on the plate and that goes right into the bin which turns it useless. Don’t dish out too much. You must take the optimum level meal in order to avoid the wastage, make your selections before hand. This also involves the idea of sharing. You can share what is left in your plate or what you don’t feel like eating with your table mates. A little bit of insisting can save the stuff from going waste.
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
It’s easy to keep the remains of your dinner, but that’s no help if you don’t eat them. Leftovers of dinner must be kept in a preserved manner so that they can form a portion of lunch. A 10 minutes heating will make them perfect to eat.But there is no point if you don’t eat them at your next meal and they go waste. Leftovers are ideal lunches, and they’ll save your time and money, they will avoid the wastage too.
EXPIRATION EXASPERATION
Trust your senses at the time of buying stuff before you rely on the expiry date mentioned on the packet of the stuff. Sell-by dates are aimed at retailers and leave about a week for the consumers to enjoy an item at home. The sense of smelling is a powerful tool to detect the freshness of the food stuff. Smell the food properly before buying as this can prevent you from buying the bad stuff.
BIT OF CHARITY
A bit of charity done with the leftover food is not a bad idea. There are many who dream of stuffs that we throw away as waste. Giving the leftovers which is in a good eating condition can be given to someone who is in search of food. This will also save the food from going waste. Animals can also be fed with the food. Your pet would love it. Trust me, if feels really good when you feed someone who is hungry.
PROPER DISPOSAL
After going for all the tricks mentioned above, still some of the stuff is ready to be regarded as waste, the disposal should be done properly. Avoid draining of solid and hard food substance, seeds of the fruits can be used for sowing(only if you are ready to do the hard work of growing a fruit).
We are blessed enough to have our proper meals present on our tables and proper time, but not everyone. There are people whose biggest problem in life is to get proper meals. The rise in price of food stuff is an outcome of many different factors, also has food wastage as one of the reason. This inflation has led to global food crisis. By not wasting food we can to some extend our help towards the growing food crisis worldwide.
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