While there is no food shortage in Canada, reports indicate that 58% of food in the country goes to waste each year, which is a cause for concern. If the majority of people take steps to prevent wastage, the country wouldn’t be battling with such high levels of food waste. Indeed, it begins with one household at a time. Following the steps below can save you money and reduce countless trips to the grocery store while also fighting food waste!
- Create a meal plan and follow through with it
Meal plans are lifesavers for busy homes. After a stressful day at work, you wouldn’t have to return home to cook up a storm. The food you want will already be prepared and safely stored in your refrigerator or freezer. Meal planning allows effective meal coordination and ensures that all ingredients are put to maximum use. The amount of planning that goes into it reduces the risk of wasting food.
Additionally, it serves as a guide when shopping for groceries. Admittedly, it takes a lot of organization to get your meal planning right. However, once you get through that stage, it will be a walk in the park. The only thing to pay attention to is to ensure you eat what you planned. If not, you will be back at square one – food waste.
- Cook instant-pot meals as often as needed
Instant pot meals are easy to prepare, limit wastage and take less time to clean up. More importantly, their nutritional value is almost the same as cooking different dishes for dinner. For example, an instant pot turkey breast meal will provide the same nutritional content as grilled chicken and a side sauce with baked potatoes but without the extra processes. Usually, you will have to season the chicken, grill it, prepare the side sauce, peel the potatoes and bake them.
On the other hand, an instant pot meal has everything in one container and cooks all at once. The chances of reducing waste are extremely high as you may not need all the extra steps. These meals can also be prepared according to the exact portions needed. Therefore, consider these alternatives when you’re thinking about ways to reduce your food waste.
Have you been following along with our new contributor’s recipe posts? Brea has been creating inventive recipes that can be used within the next recipe. A bean and cabbage stew becomes the filling for a chicken pot pie. An onion soup becomes savoury waffles. She’s been offering up great ways to reduce your food waste.
A typical way people waste food is the inability to use leftovers creatively. This has probably contributed to why some households would rather toss out leftovers than reuse them for lunch or dinner the next day. The best way to use them is to learn more about leftover recipes that help eliminate food waste. With Thanksgiving around the corner in Canada, there is so much you can do with the leftover stuffing.
Furthermore, the only way to have wholesome leftovers is to store them appropriately. Airtight fridges and freezer-safe containers are best used for such purposes. The point is to take necessary precautions to prevent them from going bad. Indeed, there is so much you can do with these leftovers. In no time, food waste may become a thing of the past.
- Consider Composting
It doesn’t matter if you have a yard or not nowadays, everyone can compost! It’s easier than ever to get. composting bucket from one of our local reuse and refill stores like Chickpeace Zero Waste here in Kelowna or The Tare Shop in Halifax.
Many of these types of stores also align themselves with local composting pick up services so you can drop your compost off if you do not have the space to compost in your yard.