Why do we waste so much food/interesting blog

[ApatheticNoMore]

Ok this talks about food waste on the personal level (not necessarily the leading cause of food waste as much is wasted long before it reaches the consumer) and isn't quantified, but how many of these reasons do you relate to:

http://realsociology.edublogs.org/2015/05/23/why-do-we-waste-so-much-food-in-the-uk/

The mini-supermarket? check The lazy? check The ingredients bought for one recipe? check the occasional whimsical desire? check

[ApatheticNoMore]

That's a fascinating blog I could spend days reading btw.

Some topics on the blog relate sociology and consumerism to Buddhism, interesting writing.

Some topics on the blog write on the sociology of consumerism (in general an interesting topic for me, although one book on this I read recently ("constructing the self, constructing america") I wanted to throw across the room it was so bad, it way overemphasized consumerism (and it wasn't about the environmental impact) completely oblivious to the fact it is WORK that is central to people's existence (takes the most time) not consuming. Psychologist seem to like that book though which speaks to their out of touchness :~). Anyway that blog is a much better read than that bad book, just a few parts reminded me of it).

Some topics on the blog discuss early retirement, only utterly frank about what he earns (in British pounds so mostly UK applicable) and what you need to earn to imitate him or retire at 52 in the UK as a UK median earner in his book. There's no very American pretense that anyone could if only they tried hard enough, nah only if the numbers pencil out which they might for a median UK earner (yea U.S. I think is very different circumstances) but not a much below median one etc..

Some topics on the blog are liberal social criticism, so if that's not your thing hey you've been told, but the different topics are categorized and the link posted is just about food ... (I do tend to eat up social criticism writings - I don't just mean political opinion writings, I read them but they aren't as interesting - but slightly more theoretical stuff).

[Williamsmith]

The topic of consumerism is one I'd like to read more about. Americans work to consume more than they need but then isn't that part of the "American Dream" false paradise?

For example, my 28 year old son, father of one 4 year old and recently separated pending issuance of divorce decree........faced moving out of a house into an apartment, refinancing a car which had been originally leased for two years, then repurchased at $335 /mo for 7 years, and needing to obtain a second part time job to supplement his full time job in order to pay monthly child support. What does he do? Signs a two year contract with a wireless provider to support an I phone and iPad.

He is also on the hook for a mortgage he co signed with his ex wife. Since she gets the house, he will never be able to purchase another house unless she refinances the mortgage in her own name. If she ever defaults, he will have to default also and that will kill his credit forever.

I went through his monthly budget with him and broke the news to him that he had to sell the car and get a cheaper one and he could not afford to have cable tv service or Internet service at least for the near future. See how they get you in a cage and keep you on the treadmill?

As for the early retirement topic.....I might have a few comments. My retirement came at 10 days before my 52nd birthday. But what was left of me by then? Just a remnant.

[lessisbest]

It was interesting to see the breakdown according to the survey, and then the author’s “deeper-level” reasons. I’ll have to purloin some of the points when I teach food and nutrition classes. I spend a lot of time during the class talking about how to avoid food waste – since that’s the most expensive food we buy. I can’t really delve much into the “BIG PICTURE” with commercial waste, but the social and cultural issues I can.

I remember the 8th grade home economics teacher saying a homemaker wasted more food by the tablespoon full than a farmer did by the pitchfork full. Little things like “eyeballing” a measurement. How many of us pour “some” vanilla into the mixture without measuring? You could easily be using double the amount needed, so measure ingredients carefully to avoid waste.

Plan your leftovers. When I make a pork loin in the slow-cooker, I have a list of 18 different entrees (and I’m sure there are many more than that) I can use the cooked pork in. I keep recipes I use frequently together as a “genre”. Example: I have a file of recipes that use one banana – because that seemed to be the amount often needing to be used, and I don’t like the taste of frozen bananas (just me, I know). I have a file of recipes that use breadcrumbs – for those of you who throw out bread heels. The recipes include brownies, cookies, cakes, and pancakes/waffles – and I’ve been able to adapt these recipes to the homemade gluten-free breads I make. If you buy a head of lettuce or cabbage - have in mind how many meals during the week you will need to use it.

And for the really frugal, dehydrating is a good way to preserve things that often “die” of loneliness in the crisper drawer. But it takes some effort, and that’s where there is often a huge breakdown in the process. People would much rather spend the evening watching someone cook on TV than to actually doing it for themselves during that 2-hours.

When I make dehydrated apple slices in the fall (using free-for-the-picking apples) I can either toss the apple cores and peelings into the trash, the compost, or make apple jelly with them. It’s nice to have options, especially if one option actually makes something for practically nothing.

I often thought the U.S. could cut down on waste if we had to use the dinky little (dorm-size) refrigerators they use in the U.K., but evidently that didn’t work for them either. Add to that, all the ADDITIONAL refrigerators and stand-alone freezers commonly found in the U.S. sitting in basements, garages, and sheds loaded with forgotten “bargains”, often wasting electricity by working in an environment with extreme heat. They use more electricity than the so-called "bargains" saved them to begin with! Refrigerators and freezers are designed to work at room temperature, which is considered 70°F. Remembering how my parents managed with a tiny refrigerator with a freezer compartment that was about 12-inches square – for a family of 6, and my husband’s family had 8 kids with a similar refrigerator. We ate entirely differently back then, and produced more of our own food.

I can’t even stand waste from my garden, so less-than-perfect produce is taken to friends who have chickens, and the chickens are more than happy with it. I was at a neighbor’s home helping her with food preparation and she was chopping green onions. She was about to toss the root end into the trash. I asked her if I could have them because you can grow them in water (a tall drinking glass or vase) indoors in the winter, or stick them in the ground (or a planter) outdoors, and you’ll have free green onions. That was something she didn’t know…. She was going to toss the green ends until I showed her how you can snip them into small pieces with kitchen scissors and freeze them. She didn’t know that, either. We do so many things in the kitchen without much thought.

I’m guilty of “Masterchef effect”, or what I call “good intentions, but poor execution”. I ordered a container of the spice Nigela specifically for a recipe. Then, by the time I got the delivery, I misplaced the recipe. But determined not to waste it, it’s become a favorite spice. I try to make at least 3 new recipes each week, so it’s good to restrict them to things I have on-hand.

[Kestra]

I agree - interesting website - I'll read more there.

I never understood casual food waste. I just couldn't do it. I'm sure it helps that my parents didn't waste food when I was a child, which resulted in some pretty gross lunches. It bothers me to throw out anything, though admittedly I don't compost right now. I don't like eating quinoa because it's hard to eat the last few grains, unlike rice, where I always finish every piece. My ex thought it was funny how I'd eat apples - down to the tiniest little bit of core. He left like 1/4 of the apple there - not cool!

I'm just glad I'm not personally privy to grocery store and restaurant wastage. I'm sure it'd drive me crazy.

[Ultralight]

I struggle with this whole issue so much... I want a simple but complete diet and I want to avoid appetite fatigue from eating the same thing all the time.

This is a hard balance to strike.

[Kestra]

I struggle with this whole issue so much... I want a simple but complete diet and I want to avoid appetite fatigue from eating the same thing all the time.

This is a hard balance to strike.

That's why I cook in large batches and do a lot of freezing - so I usually have 2 or 3 things in the rotation, plus a breakfast option. I definitely get sick of cooking/eating my own food. I need to start looking up more Asian and Mexican recipes and try to vary things up. Cheap/healthy/simple definitely gets repetitive.

[Ultralight]

That's why I cook in large batches and do a lot of freezing - so I usually have 2 or 3 things in the rotation, plus a breakfast option. I definitely get sick of cooking/eating my own food. I need to start looking up more Asian and Mexican recipes and try to vary things up. Cheap/healthy/simple definitely gets repetitive.

I seem to never tire of PB&J. I am also getting into egg scrambles with chopped veggies. An apple and peanut butter makes a quick breakfast for me. I can also whip up a homemade pizza with little effort. Smoothies are often my savior as my housemates (sis and BIL) have a Vitamix.

[Ultralight]

For the record, I do and have done many of the things mentioned in that blog. Masterchef right here too! :(

[kib]

I think my food waste tends to come from not balancing + overload. Ironically, I wind up wasting because I don't want to waste. For example, we occasionally have a session of hotdogs for lunch. So I have eight hotdogs and eight buns. but then I decide I don't want a bun with my hotdog. At the end of a week, there are no hotdogs and three rather stale buns. Don't want to throw out the buns so I get more hotdogs, but I don't really want to eat hotdogs at all. Then we wind up with five hotdogs and no buns. This sort of balancing act goes on until neither of us wants to look at another hotdog, with or without buns, and then one or the other ingredient sits around until it's unusable.

Right now I have two heads of romaine lettuce in the fridge, and I'm kinda tired of eating salad. But I'll soldier on and get some stuff to add; peppers, cucumbers, etc. Eventually, waste.

[ApatheticNoMore]

salad I never tire of, every work day salad (and if I had to eat it on weekends I wouldn't mind), but it's never pure low fat lettuce food either, I put cheese, sometimes avocados, sometimes tuna, olive oil dressing etc.

What I do tire of salad is preparing it. Swirl the lettuce in a bowl of water with 3-5 changes of water depending on how sandy/buggy it is (sometimes I water the plants outside with it - I'm not going to win any prizes here for drought adaptation but ...). The latest creatures to come with the lettuce are flies (this is why the rinsing thing). Ugh .... Then after rinsing salad spinner. I get lazy and sometimes then I don't make my salad and buy something at the store. So yea the lazy reason for food waste rears it's head ...

[Ultralight]

I think my food waste tends to come from not balancing + overload. Ironically, I wind up wasting because I don't want to waste. For example, we occasionally have a session of hotdogs for lunch. So I have eight hotdogs and eight buns. but then I decide I don't want a bun with my hotdog. At the end of a week, there are no hotdogs and three rather stale buns. Don't want to throw out the buns so I get more hotdogs, but I don't really want to eat hotdogs at all. Then we wind up with five hotdogs and no buns. This sort of balancing act goes on until neither of us wants to look at another hotdog, with or without buns, and then one or the other ingredient sits around until it's unusable.

Right now I have two heads of romaine lettuce in the fridge, and I'm kinda tired of eating salad. But I'll soldier on and get some stuff to add; peppers, cucumbers, etc. Eventually, waste.

kib:

Interesting insights. I have a friend who does something similar with burgers. They will have buns left over after making "X" number of burgers.

This is going to sound tacky but she smears butter, some Italian seasoning, and garlic on them and makes garlic bread. She couples the garlic bread with pasta, obviously.

I think it takes some willpower, grit, and creativity (all things we are short on because we have jobs and obligations that cause us to have decision fatigue or to be drained of our creativity) to figure out ways to match things that don't traditionally match and then convince ourselves we want to eat that stuff when we could order a pizza. Much of this lament echoes what was expressed in the blog at the top of the thread.

I had a few leftover "not-dogs" a while back. I chopped them up and put them in baked beans. I had a can on the shelf. A slice of bread and butter on the side and I had a lunch.

[SteveinMN]

Now that I'm home more, we waste much less food (even as I cook more than I ever did).

I've learned to avoid "Masterchef". I cook a wide variety of cuisines, so we have some odd ingredients in the house. But I'll:
- review the recipe and not even cook it if is calls for something quite perishable that I know I won't use quickly;
- make sure leftovers of an ingredient (like a head of lettuce; it's hard to buy just a few leaves) are used at other meals (as a side dish/salad/omelette ingredient/pizza topping). This goes for cooked ingredients, too;
- buy in minimal quantities, if possible (my co-op sells bulk spices, so I don't have to buy an entire bottle of garam masala). I've been known to buy small quantities at the salad bar (sliced mushrooms, a couple of ounces of ham or turkey); it's not the cheapest per-unit cost, but it sure beats tossing moldy leftovers.

We quit buying regular milk because we didn't even get through half-gallons quickly and it's hard to find quarts anymore. Instead we buy plain almond or soy or oat milk, which seems to keep much better. When DW has a jones for a Pepsi, she'll buy one at the convenience store rather than buy a 2-liter bottle or a 12-pack. If I end up buying a large loaf of bread or we're just not going through it quickly, I'll freeze a good portion of what remains. It's still good for toast. I also have an ex-yogurt container in the freezer containing soft bread crumbs made from stale bread whirled in the food processor. I've learned to be very careful about buying produce at ALDI because it just doesn't seem to last as long as the produce I buy elsewhere, so keeping it raw for use later in a week is iffy.

No, I don't always guess right. Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes there is a "we'll-eat-weird-this-week" menu. And sometimes I'll have a couple of plastic bags to toss in the compost bin. But I'm sure we waste much less food than we used to, and much less than many other families.

[JaneV2.0]

I've used nut milks for some time. My favorite is cashew, though I alternate. I struggle with waste. It seems like a delicate balancing act.

[Songbird]

I try as much as possible to not waste food. Food is pretty expensive these days, and I don't want to waste my money either. I freeze a lot of leftovers to eat at a later date. I also will use any meat that I cook in a variety of meals. Like chicken, I can make many meals from it.... I also try to use every bit of produce from our garden, but that can be hard. I have a ton of tomatoes it seems in the freezer, that we couldn't eat now or give away, but they will be great this winter to make salsa, soup, spaghetti sauce and use in chili.

[SteveinMN]

For example, my 28 year old son, father of one 4 year old and recently separated pending issuance of divorce decree[...]

He is also on the hook for a mortgage he co signed with his ex wife. Since she gets the house, he will never be able to purchase another house unless she refinances the mortgage in her own name. If she ever defaults, he will have to default also and that will kill his credit forever.

Somewhat OT for this thread, but when XW and I divorced, she wanted the house and I didn't. Part of the dissolution agreement was a requirement that she refinance the mortgage to get my name (and, therefore, connection to the note) off it. I had to write a quit-claim deed, but it freed me from half a mortgage payment for umpty-ump months and freed me from tarnishing my credit when she fell behind on payments. :doh:

BTW, default should not kill credit forever. At least in Minnesota, default will nick overall credit for about three years -- at least it did for default incurred during The Great Recession, when so many others were having problems. We have been getting "preapproved" credit offers for some time now and our FICO scores are about where they were "before".

We did talk about refinancing the mortgage on my current house and found that some lenders would talk with us and some would not, claiming a dent in credit for four years for a short sale and eleven for a foreclosure. That's still a fair amount of time, but it's not forever. But better still is getting his name off the house and the mortgage if at all possible.

[Float On]

I've always struggled with food waste.
I think I fear running out. Not sure why...I've never missed a meal.

Bought a smaller fridge.
I try to buy only what will fit in one or two shopping bags instead of buying a cart full. That has helped the most.

Now trying to cut back even more since both boys are in college and it's just the 2 of us and we work opposite schedules.

[Teacher Terry]

I was raised with parents that never wasted food & I think as a result I never did either. I have an occasional lapse but in general I am pretty good about this. If I am going to make a casserole that makes a lot of food I usually wait until I am having company so I know it won't go to waste. I could just make half but I never do.

[Williamsmith]

SteveinMN, thank you for your comment. As far as keeping this on point of the post, I think the OP opened the topic up by referring to the other threads in the blog she referenced.

In any event, one amendment to the divorce agreement was the ex wife apply for refinance once per year until succesful and if denied by lenders.....provide written proof of denial letter. What I see as problematic is that interest rates were at rock bottom when the original mortgage was issued and it was a highly restricted loan to begin with. In other words, they were already accessing one of the lenient lenders out there and I see problems getting a refinance any where near the same terms they had. Which would be a deterrent to her if she would be increasing her monthly mortgage payment. While I see it as a moral imperative since she is the one that filed, her actions during this period dont inspire confidence in her.

As as far as wasting food.......gone are the days of making children sit at the dinner table until all the food is eaten including the Lima beans. Heck, gone are the family dinners at home. Everything we have is throw away, no quality at all. Easily thrown in the garbage and hauled off to the landfill.

[iris lilies]

We must be weird, we waste very little of the food we buy. Anything that goes bad was likely an "aspirational" ingredient.
latest waste was cilantro for those spring rolls I didn't make. And that was dumb because I love cilantro and could have just added it to a salad.

Also, contrary to most, I don't plan meals. After all of these years cooking dinner for DH we stock up on meats in the freezer and we go to the grocery store for these perishables: veggeis, a few fruits, milk, yogurt. From these ingredients, plus the regular non perishables, I have many choices for a dinner.

all of the other grocery buys last much longer than one week or ten days. And this time of year, we buy few vegetables because Garden.

now food that we raise, yowza,Lots and lots of,waste there. It all goes to the compost bin, though.

[Miss Cellane]

A hot dog bun is just a holder for a filling. My mom used to sent tuna sandwiches to school in hot dog buns, because they got a lot less soggy than regular bread.

Sometimes it's hard to think outside the box on food and how to use it. I once drove a roommate nuts because I'd put tomato sauce on rice instead of pasta. Well, I had the rice and I had no pasta and it tasted good, so why not?

My biggest food waste is when I cook a meal, and then am not hungry enough to eat it all at once. I'm fine with cooking a big batch of something, planning to freeze it in individual portions. But when it's actual leftovers, they tend to get put in the fridge and forgotten. And because I usually plan out my meals for a week or so at a time, there's no logical meal to include them in. I need to work on this.

[Chicken lady]

I'm the leftover queen. I will eat three tablespoons of half a dozen things out of containers in my fridge and call it lunch. I will eat the same pasta salad twice a day for a week. And I get annoyed when the fridge is full of food and dh wants me to cook. It drives him nuts.

However, as I am cleaning out my pantry I am discovering that in 2011 I canned a bunch of strawberry jam that my dd never ate. (24 half pints to be exact) It may still be good, but I have six new pint jars of strawberry jam and I just don't eat that much jam. I am giving the chickens two jars a day to go with their oversized zuchinni, damaged tomatoes, whey etc. I would waste a lot more food without my chickens, but I am still under utilizing.

Because I need to use the pantry to store other things for a while, I'm trying to make meals that use as much stored food as possible while buying a minimum number of additional ingredients. It's an interesting exercise. I'm getting groceries twice a week - Wednesdays and Fridays - because those are the days I have to leave the house.

[Stacy]

I'm loving this thread. Lots of inspiration.

We bought a small freezer in 2013, with the intention of emptying it periodically to defrost. Well, we haven't done it yet, and I'm afraid that some of the older meat in there made not be good anymore. Time to plan some meals to use it up.

Also, I went on a stocking up binge between 2013 - 14 before realizing that I'd better slow down. I did learn exactly how much we use every month through some careful record-keeping, but I over-shopped before I got to that point. We have lots of expired canned goods that I need to use up.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm loving this thread. Lots of inspiration.

We bought a small freezer in 2013, with the intention of emptying it periodically to defrost. Well, we haven't done it yet, and I'm afraid that some of the older meat in there made not be good anymore. Time to plan some meals to use it up. ...

I think people have eaten mastodon meat preserved in the permafrost, if that helps. :~)

[catherine]

I haven't read all the responses yet, but I will. I also really like that blog! I had read "How Nations Fail" and I thought it was provocative..it was interesting to hear the blogger's take on it. Thanks for the link.

As for the food issue, I feel like, as with many other things, the more skin in the game you have with something, the more you protect it. For instance, I am VERY careful about not wasting the food I've grown myself. I love those vegetables so much... I feel like a Proud Mama. And the last thing I'm going to do is throw them out.. when they do go bad, I feel better knowing they'll be composted and reintroduced into the garden next season.

I think the article makes a lot of good points, though.

[kib]

Just to be clear, I'm a champion of macaroni tacos, green curry meatballs and a side of potatoes with, um, what was in here again? Right, spicy jicama relish. The real issue comes in combining DH's food style and mine. He only wants to eat the hotdog bun if there's a hotdog inside it, and I don't really want to eat it at all. We really waste barely any food, but when we do, it's usually the balancing act gone wrong.

Jane, that was hilarious.

[Stacy]

I think people have eaten mastodon meat preserved in the permafrost, if that helps. :~)

I guess you could eat anything, if you really had to. :(
I wonder how that tasted?

[JaneV2.0]

Gamey, I'd wager.
Talk about an aged steak...

[iris lilies]

Stacy, we regularly eat meat that's been frozen for 2-3 years. It's fine.

[Stacy]

Stacy, we regularly eat meat that's been frozen for 2-3 years. It's fine.

Yep, we just used some of the pork that was way down at the bottom of the freezer and found it was still good. Still, I'd prefer to use it up sooner than that.

[SteveinMN]

I find the stuff that's lived longest in the freezer is better off with "wet" cooking methods, like braising, stewing, or put in soups or broths. I try not to bake, broil, or roast it in pieces.