Food waste may not appear to be a large cause for concern, yet it is becoming a serious environmental issue for the planet. According to estimates by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, every day, around 30-40% of food gets wasted In India, which accounts for more than 70 million tonnes annually. Not only that, India ranks 94th out of 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index, with an estimated 200 malnourished population.
The greatest irony, however, is that there is enough food for everyone that this issue can be addressed. The only problem is with the one of access — both physical and economic, and because the food produced is not treated appropriately.
Moving forward from the hunger index, food waste is also a huge load on pockets. According to global statistics, around one-third of food residue gets wasted which was meant for human consumption. This is a huge number and can be handled if everyone gets to learn how they can make moist out of the food items.
This article brings you the 7 tips on how you can plan the food budget mindfully and use every food item effectively from its roots to leaves.
1) Plan Before Shopping
Preparing a grocery list before heading to the market is the first and the most essential step toward food management. If you craft a list and adhere to it, it will not only save time and money but also significantly reduce food waste. Making a good grocery list involves evaluating the required items for the week by considering the schedule and aligning the time for cooking and consumption. List out the items first that are mostly necessary for the day or the week. Avoid stacking up vegetables for use for more than 15 days.
Image Credit: Freepik
2) Deep Freeze the items for prolonged use
You can freeze more than you can imagine. Vegetables like peas, diced carrots, mushrooms, avocados, and broccoli can be frozen for prolonged usage. Not only vegetables, meats, and seafood can also be frozen for up to three months. Some soups and stews can last even longer. To avoid wasting, repurposing excess ingredients like sweet potatoes by mashing them and freezing them in portions allows for quick reheating without spoiling the food. Additionally, when cooking chicken breast, slice and dice the chicken and store them in containers. Later, when you want to use them, just quickly take one portion out and leave the rest. This will help you to make a chicken last throughout the week.
To prevent the wastage of fresh herbs, chop them up and place them in an ice-cube tray with oil, butter, or ghee to create herb-infused cubes usable as flavour enhancers when cooking. This innovative approach ensures that instead of discarding wilting herbs, you can create herb butter or oil cubes to elevate the flavour profile of sautéed dishes effortlessly.
3) Practice using leftover foods
Food leftovers are becoming a staple of every household. The food that is left after a party or get-together is very difficult to handle. To reduce the chances of wasting, explore the create ways to make something delicious out of them. Dishes like chicken curry, salads, soups, stir-fries, and rotis can be recreated or transformed from the leftovers. There are tons of ideas getting viral each day which shows a crafty approach on how to repurpose leftovers. You can easily transform chicken curry into leftover chicken quesadillas, or you can make roti chiwda out of leftover rotis. Designate one dinner per week to creatively use ingredients at risk of being wasted. It's an opportunity to experiment and repurpose food in inventive ways.
Chicken Quesadilla | Freepik
4) Use the Food Scraps
Food scraps pile up daily in the kitchen. Peels of fruits and vegetables, the hard stock of cabbage or lettuce, stems of leafy vegetables, seeds and bones etc. are often considered waste and get discarded right after food preparation. Little do you know that these scraps contain a lot of nutrients and have the most concentrated flavours. The saag of mooli can be easily converted into a delicious sabji, Broccoli leaves and celery leaves, meanwhile, make healthy additions to salads, and the base and stem of mushrooms can be cut and sautéed, or tossed into soups, stews, and sauces. Several Indian chefs recommend using coriander stems to get the maximum flavour in the dish, and onion peels can be converted into a flavourful condiment.
5) Don't get fooled by date labels
Food manufacturing companies always put a “use-by” date on every product. Be it breads or canned vegetables, every food company recommends their products get used up before the date printed on the cartons. Not many are aware of the fact that these dates aren't federally mandated. These dates contribute to more food waste as many tend to throw away the food after the use-by date has passed, while it may remain suitable for consumption. Without solely relying on the dates, try to put them to use and judge the signs of spoilage by yourself. Items like bread can be used even after the expiration date. Expired breads can be used to make breadcrumbs, along with this cereals, cookies, crackers, granolas, pasta, potato chips, and rice are also safe for consumption for a few days after they expire.
Labelled Bread | Freepik
6) Engage your family to make this cause happen
While every good cause is not just limited to one person, you can always engage more people to join hands and say goodbye to food waste. Make it a fun family thing and teach your kids how they can make the best use of many food items. Practice brainstorming ideas with everyone to think of innovative ways of using up food. Make boring vegetables fun by making creative recipes, so no part of the dish ends up in the sink. Make it a habit to use up leftovers, in this way, everyone will be less likely to pile up food on their plates.
Lunch Meal | Freepik
7) Keep track of the food budget
Always keep a journal of the food budget every week or every month. Also, jot down the list of the food you will be preparing for the next week and make a grocery list based on that. Log out every piece of food you discard and think of ways how you can reduce the number. Doing so will help you understand your habits and the approximate cost of the waste you're producing.
Adopting a good habit is not a one-day thing, but it will prove to be a good cause in the long run. Find several creative ideas on our website and explore the delicious ways you can make use of the food scraps.