How to reduce food waste? In this article, we are going to look at five simple ideas that will help to reduce it.

This article written by Impakter’s Tech Editor Alessandro du Bessé with Erlijn van Genuchten, Ph.D. is the third article part of a series. Erlijn is running a challenge to find every day for a year, simple sustainable solutions.

You can check Erlijn’s work on Twitter or on her website too.

Reducing food waste is crucial to improve global sustainability. It can be done in different ways: either by avoiding throwing away food, don’t let food expire so that it becomes inedible, and eat everything from the food containers.

5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

1 – Eat All Shapes

Fruits and vegetables are often only sold (and eaten) when they look perfect. But they can just as well be eaten and also taste good when they have an unconventional form. By buying fruits and vegetables in an unconventional form, you encourage shops to sell these too instead of throwing it away. In the UK, Oddbox has made an all brand out of this concept.

In The Picture: A box full of fruit and vegetables sold from Oddbox and that otherwise would be food waste. Photo Credit: Oddbox

2 – Avoid Throwing Away Leftovers

Whenever in a restaurant, if you can’t finish your meal, ask for a container to take the leftovers with you. It would even be better to bring your own container, as this doesn’t produce waste.

Same if you are about to leave for several days, instead of throwing away your food, you can always bring it to your family, friends or neighbor.

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3 – If It’s Past Expiration Date, It Does not Mean It’s Already Food Waste

The date on food often means that this product is not allowed to be sold after that date. But that doesn’t mean that it has gone off. Often, the food is good for a lot longer. Give it a try and decide whether to eat it or not.

If your fruits or veggies get a moldy spot, instead of throwing away everything, you can cut away the moldy bit.

In The Picture: Containers with food. Photo Credit: Unsplash

4 – Containers Could Be Enemies

If you can, always choose refillable containers and avoid the ones made of plastic. Between a sandwich spread that is provided in a refillable glass and one that is wrapped in plastic, choose the former.

Food containers should also be designed in ways to prevent food waste. How many times have you left a lot of content because you couldn’t reach for it in the container? If you multiply that by the number of containers that are sold, the amount of waste is huge.

5 – Be Creative

If you have food that you know is going to become inedible in a few days, it is time to turn into a chef and make the best of the ingredients you have. You can check apps or websites such as Love Food Waste to find inspiration.

In the cover picture: Fruit and Vegetables in a Market. Photo Credit: Unsplash.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of  Impakter.com