In other words, products that are past their sell-by date are often still safe and perfectly healthful to eat. We’ve stopped relying on our own noses to check for freshness and instead opt to use these arbitrary printed dates as our ingestion bible. In many circumstances, we have lost the ability entirely to tell if our food has spoiled. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council and Harvard Law School’s Food Law & Policy Clinic, nine out of 10 consumers throw out items prematurely because of the confusion and misconceptions that surround them.
While the reason stated above continues to add to this growing problem, the bottom line is this: we waste because, well, we can. In a country where we have the convenience of fresh food at our fingertips, grocery stores that are always stocked, and any produce we want available during any season we want it, we’ve become superficial about food and learned to take it for granted. We expect it to be good only if it appears flawless — the right shape and size.
Food waste is an enormous problem in this country. It creates unnecessary environmental impacts, harms the economy, and brings more hardships for hungry families and individuals who face food insecurity in these tough economic times. It’s time that we change our current perception of “out of sight, out of mind” as a society and curb the extraordinary amount of food waste that we create.
Luckily for all of us, it is not a difficult problem to fix. By holding restaurants accountable for their own waste, and by incentivizing big businesses and grocers to team with food aid organizations, we could drastically reduce the amount of disposed products and greatly increase the amount of food given to those in need. On a smaller scale, any one of us could institute a food collection program at a favorite local restaurant or grocery store. The change is just a small dent, but enough to make a difference if we all partake.
Many retailers and organizations have started working toward rescuing food on the verge of going bad. Walmart teamed with the nonprofit organization Feeding America and donated refrigerated trucks that are used by the group to retrieve the food — the majority of which is produce and meats — before it spoils. Furthermore, grassroots organizations like Boulder Food Rescue and Food Not Bombs have popped up in order to salvage some of the waste and get it to those in need.
As far as in our own homes, waste reduction is easily achievable. As customers, it’s about changing our buying and shopping habits. Shop more often and purchase less at a time. Avoid bulk purchases unless you have the proper means of storage, reach for that apple in the fridge with a small soft spot instead of tossing it, and, for goodness sake, don’t be scared of sell-by dates.
Moreover, you can also invest in some inexpensive mason jars and scan the web to learn preservation instructions — similar to what people did before refrigeration. In most recipes, salt and vinegar are all it takes, and it does wonders for things like cabbage, radishes, and even lemons. Instead of throwing them out, pack those slightly soft tomatoes in salt to make a great tomato confit, which will serve as an upscale addition at your next dinner party.
Experiment with pickling; it’s an extremely effective way of preserving almost anything. It is quick, easy and widely applicable: Try cucumbers, beets, zucchinis, and heirloom carrots. The results are pleasantly surprising, and friends will think you’re oh-so trendy. The point is this: preservation is simple, and it will keep you from needlessly throwing away your purchases.
If we can change our awareness about food waste and alter our habits, we can save a little bit of money, preserve resources, and maybe, just maybe, change the world. It’s no small order, but it’s an issue that we can work to take off the shelves for good.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Summer 2014 issue.
