In this blog, we are going to talk about food waste psychology. There can be times when your half-forgotten perishables in the pantry have been left uneaten, which further changes their pretty color or start giving off the smell. If you’re someone who is feeling guilty over the wasted food, then congrats you’re at the right place.
This world has millions of people who every day go sleep hungry, and thus, there is a need to reduce food waste. So, one must respect the food that failed to feed a hungry person. It becomes our duty to change the habit of not wasting our food at all.
Table of Contents
Why do we waste food?
1) Over-preparation
There is a boost in cooking portions, and such large meals comprise food that someone cannot finish. There is an increase of around 36 percent in the joy of cooking. Due to this, many times people forget to eat their leftovers which at last are thrown in the dustbin.
2) Prepare with a poor plan
When there is no shopping list and meal plan, then there are chances that you can make inaccurate estimates related to the ingredients you want for a particular week. There are also cases of unplanned food delivery and restaurant meals that result in spoilage before they can be used.
3) Confused data label
It has been noticed many a time that people prematurely discard food just because they failed to understand the date label meaning. For instance, sell by and expires by. The truth behind these labels is that such dates serve as manufacturer suggestions and are not being regulated federally.
4) Overbuying
Have you ever seen the sale and promotion of unusual products? If yes, then you have at least one time purchased bulk food at a retail store. After buying such a huge amount there might not be any chance to fit them into meal plans, and thus, they get spoiled before even being used.
5) Food spoilage
There is an estimated two-thirds of food that is wasted just because they are not used at home before spoiling. Such kind of food spoilage occurs due to misjudged food needs, partially used ingredients, and improper storage.
How does food waste affect us?
1) Food security
According to estimation, there are undernourished people, nearly 820 million, and overfed ones are in billion. So, it is clear that millions of tonnes of calories that can feed humans turn into waste, and the reason is food waste.
For this problem, it makes no sense to boost the total global food production, and that’s why there is a need to try other efficient consumption habits. Food waste is a clear indication of an opportunity being missed, which is capable to feed the hungry people out there.
2) Financial perspective
There are significant economic costs in food waste, such as processors whose role is to discard edible products that failed to meet the aesthetic standards. Producers too come under this as they sometimes leave produce un-harvested.
You can count retailers in it as they throw away unsold products and some products get spoil while transporting. There can be cases of households also who waste money due to over-purchase, lack of knowledge, spoilage, and many other reasons.
3) Food litter
If you’re thinking about how food waste affects human health, then take the case of food litter. There is a danger to human health whenever there is an incorrect disposal of food waste.
If someone drops food in an undesignated area or street, then there are chances of breeding of bacteria. It can easily attract parasites and vermin, which can further spread diseases.
4) Wasted resources
Whenever someone wastes food, then they are also wasting resources. These are the resources used in the production of that food. It comprises inputs invested in it like land, energy, soil, and water.
Due to this, there are cases of food poverty and greenhouse gas emissions. These are the things that affect our society and indirectly us. So, it is better to save your money by reducing food waste.
How to change our food waste Habits?
1) Switch to a meal plan
You can plan a few meals for each week, and with this, you can ensure a healthy meal for yourself. With this, you will not buy more than the required food as you’ll feel like there is a need to prepare more meals.
Try to coordinate your meals because no one wants to use distinctive ingredients for every recipe. For instance, you can plan to eat casserole one night and for the next one broccoli is perfect.
2) Use leftovers
Look for ways to use leftover food rather than tossing them into the garbage. You can use blueberries or apples in your next oatmeal. Also, soup is a good choice to use vegetable peels and scraps.
Stale bread can be used for making egg strata or croutons. Stir-fries or soups are the perfect options if you have slightly wilted vegetables. Well, soup is something that can use much of anything present in your kitchen.
3) Pick ugly foods
Buying imperfect food means all the vegetables or fruits that are oddly shaped or misshaped. Even several companies out there deliver ugly foods along with a monthly subscription.
Try to start a relationship with your local farmer. It can be done with the community-supported farmers market, which can give you some of their imperfect produce. However, buying ugly produce doesn’t mean that you’ll buy spoiled or bruised produce.
4) Store food properly
It would be better if you buy only what you required in a week. You can store bananas and tomatoes on the kitchen counter. Place your fresh herbs in the utensil full of water.
In your crisper drawer, you can store greens by rolling a paper towel in any of the plastic containers. Don’t forget to buy frozen vegetables and fruits because they can be used at a time when your all fresh produce get finished.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter what’s the step of the food supply chain there can be cases when you see food waste. Food waste means the loss of used energy, land, and fertilizer that is used in producing that wasted food. Don’t forget to take the above-mentioned easy actions to re-connect to food.
