Each year, about a third of all the world’s food produced for human consumption never reaches our plates. This substantial loss and waste accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions, and there is no more pointless a cause of emissions than uneaten food. If food waste and loss were a country, says the United Nations, it would be the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the US.
In New Zealand, each person produces about 61kg of food waste a year, of which 32kg is “avoidable”, according to a 2018 survey by WasteMINZ. This results in more than 157,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste nationally.
Throwing away a bag of rotten salad leaves may not seem like a big deal, but when you consider all the resources that went into producing it, a different picture emerges. Alongside the physical food, we are also wasting all the resources, fuel and energy that went into growing those leaves, as well as the harvesting, washing, packing, transporting, storage, refrigeration and energy used if the food was cooked.
What’s more, rotting food in landfill produces methane that is 20 times more potent than carbon pollution from car exhausts, which makes it a huge environmental issue.
Fruit and vegetables are the items most frequently dumped, followed by meat and fish, then leftover restaurant and takeaway foods. All these foods are typically refrigerated or frozen, so a good place to start reducing waste is by managing them better.
Management of refrigerated food starts at the shop. To maximise shelf life, always buy best-quality food, as bargain buys may not last as long.
Store food appropriately as soon as you get home. Most fridges have humidity-controlled produce compartments that maximise shelf life, nutrient content, taste and texture. Beware of using plastic bags in these compartments, though, as the produce may sweat and rot.
Store fruit and vegetables separately, as many fruits, such as apples, produce ethylene while ripening and this gas speeds up the ripening of some vegetables, such as leafy greens, carrots and cucumbers, making them spoil sooner. Note: bananas, tomatoes and tropical fruits are best stored in a cool pantry. Let avocados ripen on the bench, then store in the fridge.
If your fridge has bins with adjustable humidity switches, set them to the correct mode to maximise product lifespan.
Store cheese and butter in a container or a lidded fridge-door compartment, as they can be quickly tainted by strong-smelling food. In fact, butter is so prone to this that Fisher & Paykel uses it to find out whether proposed new fridge-manufacturing materials will taint foods.
To extend the life of eggs, store them in either an egg carton or one of the lidded door compartments. As eggs are porous, the fluids inside evaporate over time, hence the egg sink-float test: a sinking egg is fresh, whereas a floating egg is old.
Avoid overbuying food. For example, think twice before buying deli meats or another jar of relish. Some products go off quickly, so buy only what you know you’ll use.
Introduce a weekly leftovers day to use up odds and ends from your fridge and pantry. For inspiration on using leftovers, see lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz.
Perhaps the most crucial step is acknowledging that food thrown in the bin is a problem that needs fixing. Don’t let good food go bad. By saving it before it’s too late, you’ll not only maximise your nutrient intake and save money, but also help the environment.
This story appeared in the Listener on 7 February, 2021.
