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/20...ood-in-the-uk/
The mini-supermarket? check The lazy? check The ingredients bought for one recipe? check the occasional whimsical desire? check
Trees don't grow on money
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).
Trees don't grow on money
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.
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.
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.
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.Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler
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.
For the record, I do and have done many of the things mentioned in that blog. Masterchef right here too!
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.
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