The Waste We Don’t Notice
September 29 marks the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, now in its sixth year. The very existence of this day is a reminder that, collectively, we waste too much food. While many people make great efforts every day to reduce waste, food loss often hides in small, everyday actions we don’t even notice...
Composting
The rollout of organic waste collection programs in many cities is an excellent initiative. However, it’s easy to think that putting food in the compost doesn’t really count as waste. While composting does give food scraps another use, it’s important to remember that decomposing food also generates methane—a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂ when it comes to global warming. That’s why it’s important to limit the amount of food that ends up in compost bins in the first place.
Leftovers
A spoonful of rice here, half a zucchini there... leftovers from meals—and even from lunchboxes—often go unnoticed as part of food waste. A simple solution that’s easy to adopt is to serve smaller portions at mealtime and go back for seconds if you’re still hungry.
Peels and Skins
Take a closer look at your compost bin, and you’ll often see it filled with fruit and vegetable peels. Did you know that the skins of many vegetables we peel out of habit are perfectly edible? Carrots, eggplants, and even squash skins are barely noticeable once cooked! As for the rest, you can always keep a “peel bag” in the freezer to turn into a delicious homemade vegetable broth.
Best Before vs. Still Good After
Those famous “expiry” dates... While necessary, they can sometimes be misleading. Understanding them better helps us cut down on food waste: best before doesn’t necessarily mean bad after! Meat, milk, and soft cheeses should indeed be eaten before the date, but for products like fruits and vegetables, yogurt, hard cheeses, eggs, and bakery items, it’s best to rely on your senses—unusual smell, color, or texture—to judge if they’re still good to eat.
By changing just a few small habits, we can see how every action counts in reducing food waste.
A Food Fight article presented by Jour de la Terre