Food Wastage is increasing in quantity every day. We are running out of land to build waste-to-energy plants and landfills, having also the need to use the land for residential, industrial, commercial and recreational uses. To solve this problem, we will have to reduce food wastage, don't we? So that leaves us with the question, how do we reduce food wastage? These are 8 practices towards reducing food wastage.
For starters, shop smart and realistically. Plan out your meals carefully, list the ingredients you are sure you need. Don't just do this, stick to it. I'm sure we have all gone to the super market to buy our needs, however, while there, we tend to stray off to purchase our own wants instead. We end up with items we don't need and if there is an expiry label to it, it will end up in the bin when it expires. All this being said, you have to be a disciplined shopper, and that honestly, isn't an easy thing, not with all these advertisements and discounts waiting to fool you.
Secondly, when cooking, try not to over serve food unless there is a demand for it. Yes, you are bound to have hungry visitors and residents in your house to feed, but sometimes, not all of people are able to finish eating large portions. To prevent over serving food, we can try using smaller plates to trick our minds, theoretically, into thinking we are cooking enough to eat.
Thirdly, say you didn't listen to the second advice given and you have a bizarre amount of food leftovers that you are about to toss in the garbage. Well, don't. Please save the leftover food. You may store your leftovers for future meals when say you are too lazy to cook or have run out of ingredients. I know the most common practice is to call your local McDonalds or Pizza Hut but trust me when I say having leftover food for your dinner is more practical.
Fourthly, we can learn to store food in the right places and temperatures. Many of us toss our expired food away just because they are expired. What we can achieve by storing food in the ideal places is that we may prolong their lifespan, effectively making your food last longer. With all this being said, whip out your phone and google search the ideal places to store different types of foods, unless you have a dumb phone of course.
Fifthly, we may keep track of what food we toss away. I mean, just adding those dollar signs next to each item of food wasted is bound to gain our attention, right?
Sixthly, you may try canning and pickling as an alternative. Canning and pickling basically preserves food for a prolonged period of time. With this said, when you come back home from your work trip a week later, your food should still be good to eat.
Seventhly, we may donate food to food banks. By doing this, you are killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, you donate to the needy and secondly, your food is consumed. With this in mind, please don't empty your entire pantry just to provide for the needy and to finish off your food, please do save some for yourself.
Eighthly, consider using food waste for compost. Compost is basically fertilizer for the plants, except that is completely natural and organic. By practicing this, you have new fresh ripe tomatoes for supper, in exchange for your last Sunday's char kway teow. But, I urge that you do not leave any cans of sardines in your garden, the idea is there but, that isn't quite right.
These eight methods are probably the most practical and realistic things we can do now, today in this modern world. Please do stick to these guidelines and maybe one day, we will start to see the amount of food wastage dwindling
For starters, shop smart and realistically. Plan out your meals carefully, list the ingredients you are sure you need. Don't just do this, stick to it. I'm sure we have all gone to the super market to buy our needs, however, while there, we tend to stray off to purchase our own wants instead. We end up with items we don't need and if there is an expiry label to it, it will end up in the bin when it expires. All this being said, you have to be a disciplined shopper, and that honestly, isn't an easy thing, not with all these advertisements and discounts waiting to fool you.
Secondly, when cooking, try not to over serve food unless there is a demand for it. Yes, you are bound to have hungry visitors and residents in your house to feed, but sometimes, not all of people are able to finish eating large portions. To prevent over serving food, we can try using smaller plates to trick our minds, theoretically, into thinking we are cooking enough to eat.
Thirdly, say you didn't listen to the second advice given and you have a bizarre amount of food leftovers that you are about to toss in the garbage. Well, don't. Please save the leftover food. You may store your leftovers for future meals when say you are too lazy to cook or have run out of ingredients. I know the most common practice is to call your local McDonalds or Pizza Hut but trust me when I say having leftover food for your dinner is more practical.
Fourthly, we can learn to store food in the right places and temperatures. Many of us toss our expired food away just because they are expired. What we can achieve by storing food in the ideal places is that we may prolong their lifespan, effectively making your food last longer. With all this being said, whip out your phone and google search the ideal places to store different types of foods, unless you have a dumb phone of course.
Fifthly, we may keep track of what food we toss away. I mean, just adding those dollar signs next to each item of food wasted is bound to gain our attention, right?
Sixthly, you may try canning and pickling as an alternative. Canning and pickling basically preserves food for a prolonged period of time. With this said, when you come back home from your work trip a week later, your food should still be good to eat.
Seventhly, we may donate food to food banks. By doing this, you are killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, you donate to the needy and secondly, your food is consumed. With this in mind, please don't empty your entire pantry just to provide for the needy and to finish off your food, please do save some for yourself.
Eighthly, consider using food waste for compost. Compost is basically fertilizer for the plants, except that is completely natural and organic. By practicing this, you have new fresh ripe tomatoes for supper, in exchange for your last Sunday's char kway teow. But, I urge that you do not leave any cans of sardines in your garden, the idea is there but, that isn't quite right.
These eight methods are probably the most practical and realistic things we can do now, today in this modern world. Please do stick to these guidelines and maybe one day, we will start to see the amount of food wastage dwindling
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