February 8, 2020
13 TIPS ON REDUCING FOOD WASTE
EnviroChill is a Brisbane based company that has been helping the hospitality industry reduce waste for almost 14 years. We are happy to share our knowledge to combat this growing problem.
Food waste is fast becoming a huge concern for the growing world population, with nearly 30% of the food produced going to waste. One of the most significant impacts of this food waste is the contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would rank #3, just behind China and the United States. It’s not just the methane emissions from food disposed of in landfills that should be considered, but also all the agricultural and transport resources that are consumed during the production and shipping getting fresh food from farm to plate.
To show respect to our environment and the people who produce our food, we should become more aware of what we can do to reduce our personal contribution to this problem.
Here are some ideas we have put together:
- Shop to a list – work out what you are going to cook, and shop to a list.
- Use your freezer – most foods can be frozen for at least 3 months while you find something to do with them.
- Freeze leftovers – it may be only one portion, but these make great snacks or last minute meals when you’re in a hurry.
- Date label – anything you store in your pantry or freezer to keep track of what needs to be used first and avoid throwing something out due to uncertainty.
- Store foods correctly – learning how to keep foods fresher for longer can reduce food waste.
- Learn – how to preserve foods through cooking, fermenting, pickling and drying etc.
- Prepare – portioning ingredients for salads, smoothies, casseroles etc saves time and makes cooking a breeze so waste is less likely.
- Eat everything – most people peel fruits and vegetables when we should be consuming these nutrient rich skins.
- Blend – blitz up smoothies, pestos and salad dressings to make use of stems and peels which might otherwise be discarded.
- Manage your portions – when ordering out, consider ordering 2 starters, or sharing a main if you know the portions will be too large.
- Order purposefully – if you know your meal comes with fries or bread you don’t want, ask for it to be left off.
- Grow your own – delicate herbs often go to waste when buying in set portions from markets. Combat this by growing your own and picking fresh when needed.
- Compost – as a last resort, food scraps can be returned to the earth. Set up a compost area in your garden which will result is far less methane than sending food waste to landfills.
Want to increase the shelf life of your foods? At EnviroChill, we specialise in cold room cleaning, as well as Chillsafe protection and monitoring services for commercial refrigeration. Based in Brisbane, our team services cafes and restaurants in all surrounding suburbs and areas. For more information about reducing food waste, coldroom cleaning and automated temperature monitoring, call 0415 168 729.
