How to reduce food waste this holiday season

 

 

• Date: December 15, 2015
• Author: Pete Pearson

 

Pete Pearson works on food waste prevention and the intersection of agriculture and wildlife. Follow him on Twitter @petedpearson.

The holiday season is upon us, which means spending time with friends and family. And it almost certainly means enjoying holiday parties where food is front and center during the celebration. As the “food waste guy” at WWF, I always attract comments at the buffet line. Without doubt, I will hear calls to “clean my plate” and “we’d better not waste food with Pete around.”

While the attention can be repetitive, we might all need a “food waste guy” around to remind us how our attitude about food needs to change.

• Agriculture accounts for 70% of the fresh water used by people and nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• About 29% of global fish stocks are over-exploited and 61% are fully-exploited.
• Agriculture is the largest driver of tropical deforestation.
• The EPA estimates that during the holidays our household waste increases by about 25%.

My job at WWF was created to promote a more efficient food system that reduces waste. When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food.

“When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food. ”  -- Pete Pearson Director of Food Waste, WWF 

Agriculture is vital for human survival, but its expansion is the leading cause of stress on the last remaining biodiverse regions around the globe—this at a time when we grow enough food to feed everyone and between 30-40% of what we grow never makes it to a dinner plate.

If we can make more food available from what’s already produced—by minimizing waste—we might slow deforestation in the Amazon or preserve the grasslands in the Northern Great Plains.

If you’re passionate about conservation, consider this: preventing and reducing food waste is one of the best things you can do to conserve natural resources and wildlife.

This holiday season, avoid tossing food in the trash by taking these steps:

• Try not to over prepare food; instead try to prepare “just enough.”
• Encourage friends and family to take leftovers home.
• Store leftovers in the freezer to enjoy after you’ve had a break from them for a little while.
• Search “holiday leftover recipes” online for new ideas.

The key is to get creative and prevent waste from even occurring. Make preventing food waste your personal act of conservation.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-to-reduce-food-waste-this-holiday-season?utm_campaign=food&utm_medium=email&utm_source=enews-wwf&utm_content=1512c-ed

 

 

8 Ways to Green Your Thanksgiving Celebration

Robyn Griggs Lawrence

 

The holidays are a time of family, warmth, joy -- and waste. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, 5 million extra tons of trash are
created each week. It’s easy to reduce your contribution to all that waste -- and greening your Thanksgiving is a great place to start. Here
are eight ideas to get you on your way.

1. Buy organic, local produce.

Support the local economy and the environment by purchasing organic produce for your Thanksgiving feast from a local farmers’ market. Better yet,
participate in the 100-mile Thanksgiving Challenge. Make a meal for your family and friends using only ingredients sourced within 100 miles of your home.

2. Eat natural turkey.

Although turkeys are native to North America, today’s turkeys have little in common with their ancestors. More than 99 percent of turkeys raised in the United
States today are broad-breasted white turkeys. This version is renowned for its large, meaty breast, which has become so big that these turkeys
can’t reproduce on their own and must rely on human intervention to keep their species alive.

Buy a natural turkey this year. Order your family a certified organic heritage turkey, which is raised outdoors, eats a varied diet and has a more succulent flavor than
turkeys raised on factory farms. Find a heritage turkey near you using Local Harvest.

3. Make just enough food.

Although Thanksgiving is a holiday renowned for its leftovers, you should still take extra care not to prepare more food than your family can eat. To
help you plan your Thanksgiving feast, Use Less Stuff came up with this list of the amount of food you should make for each person:

Turkey – 1 pound

Stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes – 1/4 pound

Cranberry salad – 3 tablespoons

Pie – 1/8 of a 9-inch pie

After the meal, look at the number of guests versus the amount of leftover food and evaluate how much food was consumed. Keep track of your
calculations for next year!

4. Manage leftovers.

Divide up the leftovers between your guests and send them home in reusable containers. If you have more leftovers than your family can manage,
donate them to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

5. Clean house with nontoxic, green cleaners.

If you’re hosting the Thanksgiving celebration (and therefore must clean your house beforehand), be sure to use green cleaning products. Natural
homemade cleaners will also get the job done, and most use basic ingredients already in your cupboard.

6. Use reusable dishes and napkins.
 

A horde of guests and a kitchen full of dirty pots and pans can make it tempting to set your Thanksgiving table with disposable dishes. Don’t
give in! If you don’t have enough  dishes or china for a crowd, pick up inexpensive used plates, which can be found in thrift stores for $1 or
less. You can set a pretty -- and interesting -- table by selecting mismatched dishes with similar color themes.

If you must use disposable dishes, buy biodegradable and compostable dishes and utensils. Along the same lines, use cloth napkins instead of disposable
ones.

7. Make your own centerpiece.

If there’s still room at your table after all the food and dishes have been set, create a homemade centerpiece. Avoid store-bought bouquets
and gather items from nature. In most areas of the country, not much is in bloom, but cutting bare branches or branches with seasonal berries
adds sculptural interest and connects your table to the season. You can put your hand-picked bouquet in this 60-second vase or this wood chip vase.

8. Drink organic wine.

If wine is part of your Thanksgiving feast, buy organic. Check out Natural Home’s guide to organic wine to get started.

 

 

 

 

 

EPA, USDA, Others Set Nation's First Goals on Reducing Wasted Food

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2015


EPA and USDA Join Private Sector, Charitable Organizations to Set Nation’s First Goals to Reduce Wasted Food

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the United States’ first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50-percent reduction by 2030. As part of the effort, the federal government will lead a new partnership with charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector and local, state and tribal governments to reduce food loss and waste in order to improve overall food security and conserve our nation’s natural resources. The announcement occurs just one week before world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to address sustainable development practices, including sustainable production and consumption. As the global population continues to grow, so does the need for food waste reduction.

“Let’s feed people, not landfills. By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources, and protect our planet for future generations” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Today’s announcement presents a major environmental, social and public health opportunity for the U.S., and we’re proud to be part of a national effort to reduce the food that goes into landfills.”

“The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This announcement demonstrates America’s leadership on a global level in getting wholesome food to people who need it, efficient use of natural resources, cutting environmental pollution and promoting innovative approaches for reducing food loss and waste.”

Food loss and waste in the United States accounts for approximately 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of the overall food supply available to retailers and consumers and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change. Food loss and waste is the single largest component of disposed U.S. municipal solid waste, and accounts for a significant portion of U.S. methane emissions, which fuel climate change. This large volume of wasted food is a main contributor to the roughly 18 percent of total U.S. methane emissions that come from landfills. Landfills are the third largest source of methane in the United States.

Furthermore, experts have projected that reducing food losses by just 15 percent would provide enough food for more than 25 million Americans every year, helping to sharply reduce incidences of food insecurity for millions. It is estimated that at the retail and consumer levels in the United States, food loss and waste totals $161 billion dollars.

Ongoing federal initiatives are already building momentum for long-term success. In 2013, USDA and EPA launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, creating a platform for leaders and organizations across the food chain to share best practices on ways to reduce, recover, and recycle food loss and waste. By the end of 2014, the U.S. Food Waste Challenge had over 4,000 active participants, well surpassing its initial goal of reaching 1,000 participants by 2020. EPA is working with nearly 800 grocers, restaurants, venues, stadiums, and other organizations to reduce wasted food through prevention, donation, and composting. In 2014, participants in EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge diverted nearly 606,000 tons of wasted food, which included over 88,500 tons donated to people in need.

USDA and EPA will also continue to encourage the private sector—food service companies, institutions, restaurants, grocery stores, and more—to set their own aggressive goals for reducing food loss and waste in the months ahead. Organizations such as the Consumer Goods Forum, which recently approved a new resolution to halve food waste within the operations of its 400 retailer and manufacturers members by 2025, are helping to lead the way.

The United States is leading global efforts to address the threat of climate change. The first-ever national food waste goal is just one part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to protecting our environment for future generations. Since President Obama took office in 2009, the United States has increased solar generation by more than ten-fold, tripled electricity production from wind power, and reduced greenhouse gas pollution in the United States to its lowest levels in nearly 20 years. By setting achievable environmental goals, this Administration is making strides to help boost the economy and protect the health of American families for the long-term.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:  EPA and USDA Join Private Sector, Charitable Organizations to Set Nation’s First Goals to Reduce Wasted Food

A wide array of voices from across the food chain applauded the announcement of the first national standards for food waste reduction. Here’s what they had to say:

Deborah Hecker, Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sodexo North America
“Most people don’t realize how much food they waste every day. As the 18th largest employer in the world, Sodexo is committed to identifying sustainable holistic solutions that reduce or repurpose food that would otherwise be wasted.  We are proud of our longstanding relationships with the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture and look forward to working with them on a greater scale to address this issue with the release of the food waste reduction goals.”

Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute
“Food retailers are community minded, neighborhood focused and intimately connected to the lives of their shoppers; as such they work closely with their customers on those issues touching both the heart strings and the purse strings. Reducing food waste at all levels in the food chain - farm, factory, store and home - is certainly one of those issues with economic and emotional appeal.”

Jeremy Kranowitz, Executive Director, Sustainable America
“Sustainable America has a goal to increase food availability by 50% by 2035, and we see reducing the amount of wasted food as a major part of the solution. We commend the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency for their leadership and collaborative focus on this critical issue.”

Craig Hanson, Global Director of Food, Forests, and Water, World Resources Institute
“The first ever U.S. national goal on food waste reduction will bring multiple benefits for food security, natural resources, and the economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency are showing leadership by announcing a national goal that will ensure more food gets from the farm to the fork and will save consumers money. The new U.S. national goal is also consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 that focuses on food loss and waste reduction.”

Jonathan Mayes, Senior Vice President, Albertsons
“Reducing food waste is an important priority for Albertsons Companies. As part of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, we are focused on source reduction as well as providing food to other good causes such as hunger relief organizations and animal feed.”

Jilly Stephens, Executive Director, City Harvest
“City Harvest appreciates the inclusion of hunger relief groups as part of this national goal to combat food waste. Over 49 million Americans live in food insecure households, including nearly 1 in 5 New Yorkers, and yet 31% of our country’s food supply is wasted.  Food rescue is an important way that we can help bridge the gap between the manufacturers, producers, distributors, and consumers who have too much food and our neighbors who are struggling to put meals on their tables regularly.”

Jason Ackerman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FreshDirect
“FreshDirect is pleased to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on this initiative. Reducing food waste is a significant issue facing food retailers. Our work with community partners like City Harvest to reduce food loss can be a model for others, but clearly more can be done. FreshDirect is proud to stand with President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on this important initiative.”

Eric Ripert, Chef and Co-owner of Le Bernardin and Vice Chairman, City Harvest Board of Directors
“At Le Bernardin we have donated food to City Harvest for nearly 20 years. We recognize that the great amount of excess food in our country can be used to feed hungry Americans and reduce food waste at the same time. Setting a national goal for food waste reduction is an important step to help address many issues and we are proud to stand with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency in this new initiative.”

Erin Fitzgerald Sexson, Senior Vice President, Global Sustainability for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
“Under the leadership of the nation’s dairy farmers, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is working to promote a more sustainable food system. Recognizing that food recovery is an important approach for addressing hunger, safeguarding the environment and reducing costs, we applaud the establishment of a national goal for food waste reduction. Likewise, dairy farms and businesses are making public commitments to measure, reduce, recover and recycle food waste, including participation in the Environmental Protection Agency Food Recovery Challenge and the U.S. Food Waste Challenge.”

Bill Thomas, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Feeding America
“Feeding America applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the significant food waste reduction goal announced today. As a leader in the recovery and donation of nutritious food to feed struggling Americans, our network of food banks and food rescue organizations have firsthand knowledge of the challenges involved in reducing food waste. We are excited to work with the U.S. Department of

 

Denmark Might Be Winning The Global Race To Prevent Food Waste

Sidsel Overgaard

September 01, 2015

 

i

Claus Holm, a Danish celebrity chef, demonstrates at a festival on the Danish island of Fyn how expired products lurking at the back of the fridge can still be delicious. Sidsel Overgaard for NPR

 

At a festival on the Danish island of Fyn, Claus Holm, a fast-talking Danish celebrity chef, is sniffing and mixing into a pot of stew an ingredient he calls "totally forbidden." It's cream, and it expires today.

Danes' increasing willingness to buy and consume items like just-expired dairy products has helped make them, arguably, the world champions in the fight against food waste. According to a recent report from the Danish government, Danes now throw away 25 percent less food than they did five years ago.

Holm is one of many people who have been working to make that so, and it's why he's here today: to prove that expired products lurking at the back of the fridge can still be delicious. For two hours, he works his way through kitchen carts piled with a messy array of stickered-up products: bruised basil, tired baguettes, squishy tomatoes and huge hunks of slightly graying meat.

To Cut Food Waste, Spain's Solidarity Fridge Supplies Endless Leftovers

A few years ago this might have been radical performance art. Today, his audience smiles appreciatively, but doesn't seem to need much convincing. Danes today throw out 104 pounds of food per year on average compared to an estimated 273 pounds per person per year in the U.S.

If Holm is an ambassador in Denmark's anti-waste movement, then the queen has to be Selina Juul, a peppy 35-year-old who emigrated from Russia as a teen.

In 2008, after years of dismay at the amount of food she saw landing in Danish trash cans, Juul started the organization Stop Wasting Food.

Farmers and retailers often get the brunt of the criticism when it comes to food waste, but Juul decided to start at the other end.

"I thought, 'Who can we move? Well, we can move the people.' So we started focusing on the people," she says.

Juul created a Facebook group and two weeks later started appearing in the national media, where she has been a regular figure ever since.

It was an efficient strategy, given that individual consumers are responsible for 36 percent of food waste in this country, compared to retailers (23 percent), the food processors (19 percent) and primary producers (14 percent), according to figures from the Ministry of the Environment and Food.

i

A customer browses a display of fresh fruit for sale outside a Netto store, operated by Danske Supermarked, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company says Danish consumers have helped push it to cut back on food waste even more. /Freya Ingrid Morales/Bloomberg/Getty Images

But Juul says her seven-year effort to poke and prod consumers is starting to trickle up the food chain.

"Now, because it's become a trend of not wasting food, the companies and the food producers and retailers are starting to act as well," she says. "Compared to other countries, Denmark, at the moment, has the most supermarkets doing something to reduce food waste."

Maia Lindstrøm Sejersen, a spokeswoman with Dansk Supermarked, Denmark's largest retailer with four chains and an online store, would counter that the company's supermarkets have always been careful about waste.

New Nordic Food Gods Loosen Up On Strictly Local Cuisine

"It's just good business," she says. "Any grocer would rather sell something than throw it away."

She says Dansk Supermarked's chains have sold food near expiration at reduced prices for decades. But while buying these items might once have been considered a sign of poverty for consumers, it's now a badge of pride. And the company has responded by piling reduced price goods in dedicated areas, marked with special signage.

But, she admits, the recent movement to prevent food waste has pushed grocery stores to improve further, particularly in one area.

"Fruits and vegetables have always been tricky because they have to look lovely and fresh," she says. "Sometimes maybe we've been too quick to say 'this needs to go.' But now that people are so focused on food waste, we can, for example, take the outer, [wilted] leaves off a head of lettuce and sell it at a reduced price."

And, she says, even more than consumer pressure, what's going to make the biggest difference in reducing retailer waste is technology that enables better tracking from farm to fork. She points to SAP, a new IT system her company has had in place for just under a year. It's already helped one of her company's chains pinpoint bread as one of the most wasted items. With that knowledge, stores are now ordering less and have dedicated more space to selling older bread at a discount, all of which has reduced bread waste by 60 percent.

Meanwhile, Juul and her army of volunteers say there's still plenty of opportunity for consumers to reduce food waste even more. For example, a Stop Wasting Food survey released just this week suggests that half of all Danes have been shoving leftovers to the back of the freezer — and tossing them out a year later.

"This new number is showing that we're postponing our food waste," says Juul. "We're just pushing it into the future."

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/01/436292784/denmark-might-be-winning-the-global-race-to-prevent-food-waste?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150901