5 Different Ways You Must Use To Avoid Food Wastage At Home
Food wastage is a big problem in the world, but we usually don’t realize it. Everyday tons of food items are discarded or wasted due to different reasons. According to researches, more developed countries waste more food. And throwing edible food not only waste money but it also contributes to environmental changes as it produces harmful gasses like methane gas.
Additionally, you may know that a large amount of water is used by agriculture. And when you waste food, you don’t only waste your money, you also waste resources of your country. Moreover, you waste the efforts of farmers, people who transfer food, and many other people involved in its production and sale.
Sometimes we are aware of these facts, but we don’t know how to store food properly. And don’t know the correct use of storage fridges. Here are some ways that will help you to avoid food wastage:
1. Make a List Before Grocery Shopping:
Most of the time we buy more food than we need. Because when we go to the grocery stores, we feel that we need everything, and we end up buying things in bulk. Or you buy many things because the store is offering a discount on them, but you never use them.
So, to avoid excessive buying, make a list of things you actually need and stick to it. And avoid buying unnecessary things or things without any purpose.
2. Store Food Correctly:
According to studies, almost 2/3 of food wastage is because of improper storage of food. Mostly, people don’t know how to store fruits, vegetables, cooked, or uncooked food properly. Different foods require different temperatures for storage. For example, onions, garlic, bananas, and apples etc. are best when you store them on a shelf at room temperature. And some fruits or vegetables require lower temperatures for storage.
Moreover, keep the food stored at room temperature away from foods that produce ethylene gas. These foods are bananas, onions, avocados, and tomatoes.
3. Preserve the Foods:
Food preservation has a long history. People are using different preservation techniques like pickling to store food for thousands of years. Pickling is a method for preserving food or increasing its shelf life. In Asian countries, vegetable oil, and vinegar is used as a pickling medium. Other than pickling, drying, fermentation, and freezing are also useful methods. So, instead of wasting food, preserve it or store it.
4. Keep your fridge Clutter-free:
If you want to avoid wastage of food and money, then you should keep your fridge clutter-free. Store your food properly in Ziploc bags or plastic containers and add labels on them. These labels should contain food names with the date of storage. It will help you to properly organize your fridge. And a well-stocked and organized fridge prevents wastage of food.
When your fridge is overly filled, you can’t see what you have stored and when and forget about it.
5. Save Leftovers:
Mostly on weekends when you have get-to-gathers, you cook food in large quantities. And you can store excess food for later use. Moreover, if we store leftovers, we forget about them and after a few days, we throw them away. To deal with this problem, store leftover food in glass jars or transparent containers. You can also turn leftover food into sandwiches, rolls, and into other dishes.
