By T.J. Banks — award-winning author of eight books, the latest being Moonlight & Grace.
We’re apt to dismiss food thriftiness as somehow being old-fashioned, a ridiculous way of thinking left over from the Great Depression. Nothing could be further from the truth. “In traditional societies, little or no food goes to waste,” Julian Baggini writes. “Every edible part of an animal or plant is utilised.’ In industrialized countries, the attitude is more casual, as though a little extra food down the garbage
disposal couldn’t possibly make a difference.
But it does. Roughly a third of the food produced world-wide isn’t consumed. Halving that amount would not only mean more food available in the future – it would also help mitigate the climate crisis. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)), eight to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are from food waste: “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source
of greenhouse gas emissions.”
We in the U.S. have the dubious honor of being the biggest waster of food. “While the world wastes about 2.5 billion tons of food every year, the United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 60 million tons — 120 billion pounds — every year,” Recycle Track Systems (RTS) observes. “That’s estimated to be almost 40 percent of the entire US food supply, and
equates to 325 pounds of waste per person.”
Here are some of the things you can do to cut back on food waste and help the planet:
1) Compost, compost, compost. The food goes back into the soil, making it richer. Plus, your garden will thank you for it.
2) Re-use leftovers whenever possible. For example, save that carcass from your Thanksgiving turkey, and voila! you have the beginnings of turkey soup. Got leftover meat? See turkey pot pie.
3) Excess food? Donate it to food banks, shelters, charities, etc. Extra veggies of fruit in your garden and/or orchard? Gift them to family and friends.
4) Check those expiration dates! It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of Americans end up chucking food out because they don’t heed expiration dates.
5) Used to buying food in large quantities? That only works if you use up all the food before it spoils. Remember the manna from Heaven story in the Old Testament? Truth! Just purchase the amount of food you need – and make sure that you have plenty of labeled and airtight containers to store it all in.
6) Think nobody cans or freezes food anymore? Think again. Many folks still do it because they believe in self-sufficiency, and they’ll probably be glad to show you the ropes. Plus, there’s much to be said for having row upon row of Mason jars of fruits and veggies on your shelves come winter.