How to prevent food waste

How to prevent food waste

Knowing how to prevent food waste becoming more and more important, and has a positive impact on both the planet AND your budget. It has happened to all of us before – we buy fresh foods with all the intention in the world to eat them, but at the end of the week, some of it ends up in the dustbin because it has gone bad.

What is the problem with food waste?

• A third of food produced is wasted globally, adding up to billion tonnes per year
• In South Africa, ~ R61.5 billion per year is the total cost of edible food waste (Nahman and de Lange, 2013)
• Food waste is said to have a “triple negative” effect: It has a negative impact on food security, resources used in to produce and distribute food also gets wasted and it has environmental impacts throughout the supply chain.
• There is enough food being produced to feed all the people in the world, but as a result of food waste and distribution problems, almost one in seven people globally are estimated to be undernourished

What is food waste?

According to Ostergen et al, 2014, food waste is “any food, and inedible parts of food, removed from the food supply chain to be recovered or disposed(incl. composted, crops ploughed in/not harvested, anaerobic digestion, bio-energy production, cogeneration, incineration, disposed to sewer, landfill or discarded to sea”.

Here is 10 ways you can minimize food waste:

1. Before heading to the grocery store, plan and write your shopping list. Check your pantry and fridge for items already in the house to avoid buying things twice. For some tips on shopping on a budget, click here.
2. When at the store, buy only what you need and stick to your shopping list and avoid buying perishable products in bulk if you are not sure that you are going to eat it.
3. Purchasing “ugly” fruits or vegetables that often get left behind at the grocery store, but are safe to eat, is a great way to minimize food waste. Ugly produce has physical deformities but are not damaged or rotten, and contain the same nutritional value as their well-formed counterparts.
4. When eating out, opt smaller portions to prevent plate waste or choose to share a dish if the portion sizes are larger than you would normally eat.
5. Refrigerate peeled or cut fruit and vegetables as soon as possible, and try to use within 3 days.
6. Use the FIFO (first in, first out) principle in your fridge – what went in first, must be eaten first. Eat or freeze items before you need to throw them away.
7. Keep your fridge temperature at 4⁰C and avoid opening the fridge unnecessarily.
8. Create new dishes with leftovers, or freeze leftovers to have a ready-made meal when you are in a hurry.
9. Do not leave perishable food outside the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, unless you are keeping it hot or cold.
10. Create a designated place in your fridge for products that may expire in the next 2-3 days, and make sure to eat it as soon as possible.

  As an athlete, you can make daily changes and adopt habits to prevent food waste. It is a small thing that, if the majority of people start to do, can make a big impact on the world.