What’s Food Waste Got to Do With It?

Food Waste and Climate Change

By: DairyFreeGina

Earth Day, every April 22nd, is an annual event since 1970 to celebrate our earth and drive action on the environment and climate crisis. So what does the amount of food you eat and don’t eat have to do with Earth Day?

Food Waste, or quality food that’s not eaten and instead thrown out, is a major contributor to climate change.

According to Feeding America, a network of food banks, “the United States wastes 92 billion pounds of food annually, equal to 145 billion meals. Over $473 billion worth of food annually is thrown away. Shockingly, 38% of all the food in America is wasted.” And this is food that is still good and able to be eaten!

Food that is produced but never eaten still requires enormous resources to grow, harvest, transport, cool, cook or otherwise prepare – even when it’s disposed of. Throwing good food away has enormous impacts across our climate and natural resources, food insecurity, and the economy. NPR reports that in 2022 13 million children experienced food insecurity, a jump of nearly 45 percent in one year,

So what can you do this Earth Day and everyday to avoid food waste and save Earth? Below are some powerful ideas.

1. THINK UGLY IS THE NEW BEAUTIFUL

Misshapen veggies and fruits are full of nutrients and fiber. Buy them! Stores often discount this so called ugly produce so not only do you minimize food waste but you save money at the same time!

Bananas are often thrown out as soon as a dark blemish appears on the peel, but these are the best and sweetest bananas to make banana bread and smoothies. Ugly bananas and other fruit can easily be frozen and used later for juice, smoothies, in baking. and ugly veggies are perfect for cutting up and tossing into a stir fry, soup, and chili.

2. USE YOUR SCRAPS

Those peels, scraps and ends of veggies should not be thrown away. Either add to your compost pile or use to make vegetable stock

When I prep veggies, I save the scraps and ends in a bag and freeze until I have enough to make stock. Not only does this waste less, but you also control what goes into your stock, unlike many store bought versions which are full of salt and preservatives. Get my stock recipe by clicking HERE

3. PLAN AHEAD

Minimize food waste by planning meals in advance. On the weekend think about the meals you want to make for the coming week. Plan out ingredients and buy just what you will need to avoid over buying. And when you have leftovers, store in glass containers. Make the switch to glass and cut back on plastic which is harmful in so many ways to our planet and animal life.

Before heading out to the grocery store or ordering online, take a look at what’s in your refrigerator and buy only what you really need.

4. GROW A GARDEN

Grow an organic garden free of pesticides. Preserve homegrown fruits and veggies by freezing and canning. Be sure to compost which is one of the best ways of adding nutrients to soil and combating food waste

5. SHOP LOCALLY AND SEASONALLY

Whenever possible, buy foods in season, from local sources, with minimal packaging and fewer ingredients. Farmers Markets are the best source for the freshest fruits and veggies and your purchases support your local economy . Plus, if you have a question about how the item was grown you can ask the source!