How to avoid food waste at home

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation states that an estimated one third of all the food produced globally is either wasted or lost. Wasting food that is fit for consumption is an alarming issue especially when the world hunger is on the rise. Heaps of food items being dumped in the bins is a common sight in the hotels or at wedding venues where hundreds of guests gather.

However, studies reveal that it is not at the hotels or such venues where food is wasted the most. It, surprisingly, is in our own homes where we cook fresh food, in more quantities than what is actually required and then throw it away. It is truly an unfair paradox that one half of the world population wastes cooked edible food while the other half struggles to eat even one meal a day.

Though people are becoming more health conscious and have realized the ill effects of overeating, they have not actually reduced the amount of food waste. In the olden days, there were more number of family members in the houses, with very little to eat. However, now, there are more than enough for consumption even though the number of people has reduced in each family unit.

Experts say that the average Malayali household wastes huge amount of edible food on a daily basis, which is estimated to be of worth Rs 2000 per month. It is high time that we consciously make some efforts to reduce the food that is wasted in our homes. On special days or occasions, try to prepare food that is enough for the exact number of guests. Meanwhile, the guests too should take on their plates food that is just enough for them or what they can finish.

Here are some tips to avoid food waste at home

A list of preferred food items or dishes for an entire week should be prepared in advance. The vegetables that have been stored in the fridge for longer period of time should be used first.

Do not fill your shopping carts with whatever products that you see on the shelves in a supermarket. Instead you could make a list of things that is required for a week and then buy just that.

Try to regulate the quantities of food items based on your needs. For example, you could buy the salad cucumbers after deciding the number of days that you actually plan to consume salad.

Prepare the shopping list after inspecting your fridge and the kitchen cabinets. You could thus avoid buying and storing things that is already in stock.

Though it is said that buying things or provisions in huge quantities in financially profitable, make sure that you use those items before they expire.

It is very common that the leftover dishes are stored in the fridge for days. However, in many households, these food items are often thrown away when the fridge becomes full and there is no space in it to store more food. You could actually reserve a day in the week to finish all the leftover dishes in the fridge. If you are someone with amazing culinary imagination, you could turn those leftover fruits and vegetables into delicious smoothies, soups or salads.