Dec 2021

According to experts, shifting toward a plant-based diet and reducing food waste are the two areas in which individuals and families can have the biggest impact on climate change. Would it surprise you to know that waste accounts for a surprising third of all food production? Here are some ways to make big reductions and save money on groceries, too:

• Before shopping, consider what dinners you may have to eat out in the coming week.
• Write a menu for each of the dinners at home on a magnetic whiteboard stuck to the fridge.
• Make a list of food needs from the menu and add breakfast and lunch needs.
• Take inventory of your pantry and fridge, crossing out any needs you already have on hand.
• Eat before you go shopping to avoid hunger induced impulse buying.
• Buy only what you need for your dinner menu, breakfasts, lunches, and household needs.
• Look at expiration dates to be sure you’ll use perishable products before their end dates
• When unpacking groceries, move older products to the front of the fridge/freezer/pantry and put new products behind them. This way, you’ll use the older foods before they expire.
• Freeze leftovers and designate one dinner each week as Use it Up night.
• Use old fruits and veggies: Citrus peels to clean grease from dishes and pots, over ripe fruits in smoothies, and wilted vegetables in soups.
• Buy funny looking foods. Many odd-looking fruits or vegetables are thrown out simply because they look different. Buying these products from the grocery store can reduce what goes to the landfill.
• Compost peelings and parings to enrich the soil in the family garden.

Adapted from: Food Exposed – Waste: A Documentary highlighting the harmful impact of food waste on our climate