When food rescue organisations take a look at what food items household kitchens are most likely to send to landfill, they see 5 repeat offenders:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Bagged Salads
- Bread
- Leftovers
Today, let’s take a look at the Top 3.
Forgotten Fruits
Some households send up to HALF of the fruit that comes into the home into the rubbish uneaten. All that flavour and nutrition – wasted.
The Food and Agriculture section of the UN looked into the cause. They found, not surprisingly, that once the fruit turns brown, soft or mushy – it’s headed straight for the bin.
We all know of a banana or two that has met this destiny, despite our best efforts.
They didn’t stop there though. The team at the UN then asked – WHY is our fruit getting to this stage. They found that 2 of the major culprits were:
- We buy too much fruit at a time
- We forget to eat it
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of overbuying our fruit. It often works out cheaper per serve and it saves multiple shopping trips in an already busy week.
Weeks that get so busy that… yes… we often forget to grab those grapes as we head off to work.
Luckily, we can save our fruit from its trashy-trajectory with a bit of organisation.
Meal Planning can help redirect our neglected fruit into delicious (and cost saving!) baked goods, healthy snacks or a surprising crunch in salads and slaws.
Smarter storage is the other solution. Products like the Veggie Saver bags have been designed to extend the life of your fruit. You can still save by buying in bulk and you’ll find the fruit stays at its delicious best for much longer.
Vanquished Vegetables
Next up the UN team took a look at why we were sending our vegetables to landfill.
Two words stood out:
Shrivelled and wilting.
Usually a result of purchasing poor-quality produce in the first place; forgetting to cook our vegetables; or simply running out of time.
Purchasing your vegetables direct from farmer’s markets is helpful here. Local, seasonal veg tastes great and has spent a lot less time getting from the paddock to your plate. Unfortunately, it’s not always an option to buy your vegetables this way.
That’s where clever storage like the Veggie Saver bag is your vegetable’s best friend. Veggies stay protected, hydrated and fresher much longer than if you stored them in a plastic bag.
Listless Leaves
Bagged salads offer convenience and meal inspiration when you’re in a hurry.
On the downside, how often do they slide into sliminess the moment you bring them home??
It’s not only freshness that you sacrifice with pre-made salads.
Sometimes you miss the full nutrition and texture that comes from using the whole lettuce versus just a few pre-picked leaves.
One option is to pick longer-lasting salad ingredients. Kale, romaine and iceberg all have a longer shelf-life in the fridge than choices like baby-spinach.
Another is to ditch the plastic. As soon as the leaves are picked from the main lettuce they start to lose freshness. Storing them in tight plastic shortens their lifespan even more. Transferring your salad ingredients into a storage option like the Veggie Saver bag gives them the breathing room they need.
Reducing Costs
Households accidentally waste thousands of dollars each year on food that goes to landfill uneaten. Buying high-quality produce, meal planning and clever storage like the Veggie Saver bags are fast, easy ways to help reverse the waste. It’s easy to get started today!