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Tiburones
This thread also brought to mind supermarkets, and to some extent food halls in Japan.
Depending on when a fresh food item was placed out -- and certainly before closing time -- karaage, tempura, yakisoba, and a host of other foods get discounted. And sushi. I've always considered those who know about these deals to be tiburones, or sharks (in Spanish; eh, it sounds better than the Japanese word same.) That means we're all looking for the chum. Coincidentally, sushi makes for great pun-riddled chum. |
Originally Posted by FindingFoodFluency
(Post 35212402)
This thread also brought to mind supermarkets, and to some extent food halls in Japan.
Depending on when a fresh food item was placed out -- and certainly before closing time -- karaage, tempura, yakisoba, and a host of other foods get discounted. And sushi. I've always considered those who know about these deals to be tiburones, or sharks (in Spanish; eh, it sounds better than the Japanese word same.) That means we're all looking for the chum. Coincidentally, sushi makes for great pun-riddled chum. |
Originally Posted by StuckInYYZ
(Post 35212392)
I try to waste as little as possible. Occasionally there are a few things that go bad but that's rare in my case. In the last few years, I've been trying to grow a little bit to suppliment what I buy as not everything was available. Still do these days for a different reason (office work is now cloud-based so a lot fewer trips and need something calming after dealing with developers who don't understand if they have a security breach, they're screwed).
But that said, there are only a few things I toss.... mainly meat or dairy products gone bad (not counting egg shells). I keep a few holes (not big ones, maybe the width of those industrial sized ketchup cans) in the garden that I toss raw veggie ends into (think carrot tops, outer layers of red onions, the butts of romaine, etc.). As the holes level a bit, I'll layer them with a bit of cardboard and dirt (part of the "hot compost" methodology) and after it's nearly full, I'll top it off with dirt. Give it a few months and you can see that area of the garden has sunk a bit and that spot is effectively ready to be used to grow something. As for the fridge door, I only keep sauces and drinks I plan on chilling. I try not to buy really exotic sauces, however I try to finish them even if I don't like them. It might just take time. We have a green bin program here where we can toss organics. They collect once a week and the contents get composted or biogased as you guys do. It's a handy program, but for the size of our bin, to keep it full, you'd have to be burning more than $1500 a year in groceries. I would avoid composting cheeses. That attracts pests and often starts to smell when decaying. Considering the expiry date (assuming you mean 2023), that cheese should still be good. I would have made a few grilled cheese sandwiches or maybe mix it into a mac and cheese dish myself. About the only time I wouldn't would be if it's one of the smellier cheese (eg, blue). As for the ice cream, unless it thawed and refroze, I would still consume it. Never waste ice cream. Scallions freeze well. I will usually buy one or two bunches (a bunch has 5 stalks here). chop them up until the white part, regrow them (stick'em into a jar with some water and ANY light source) two or three generations and toss them into a ziplock bag. Do that a few times and you fill the bag. I find if you just use water as the growing medium, after two or three generations, the whites become mush. If you want to extend the number of times you can regrow them, use dirty and a sunny location. As for what you can do with them, ramen dishes, fried rice, if you make asian pancakes from scratch, scallions are a very common ingredient. Any leftover lemons (or any citrus really) I get, I just dry on a paper towel (might chop them up if the pieces are big). The peels and whatever you call the guts of a lemon (I know there's a technical term, I just can't remember it) make great amendments for soil. I just mix the bits into the dirt before planting and then mulch new stuff as I get them. Does wonders for any tomato plants I grow. Raspberry plants love it too. |
Originally Posted by corky
(Post 35212424)
I applaud you for your recycling and conservation. :tu:
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There's no way I waste anywhere near the amount in the article either. I'd guess maybe a few dollars per week in waste, and it's almost exclusively leftover produce. For some reason, our most convenient grocery store has the shortest-lasting produce. When we drive further, it will last twice as long. Convenience often wins, so we try not to buy too much at one time. But there's always something that goes bad within 1-2 days after purchase...although I'd say it's actually the grocery store causing the waste not us.
I always have some tiny storage containers in the refrigerator. If nothing else, a lot of things can simply be added to scrambled eggs! And I save all those leftover condiment packets from takeout and use them too. When my outdoor garden herbs start to fail in the fall, I pick them all, dry them, and use throughout the winter. None of this takes much effort...effort might change my habits :). However, I don't doubt the article at all. Watching my brother's and sister's family's habits, I can't believe they were raised along side me. Neither believes in eating leftovers. I also think it's a generational thing. They're both younger and I've definitely noticed more food waste with younger generations. Sad to see that we've become such a consume-and-discard society. |
The amount of food waste and scraps from food preparation that ends up in the food waste paper bags placed in compost bins over two weeks is both impressive and stunning at the same time. Based on what I have seen at homes with 7+ categories of sorted garbage, I suspect that families with kids may generate more such waste than elderly, childless couples and empty nesters. $1500 of average household food waste per year in countries with GDP per capita of $40k or more? Wouldn’t surprise me at all. What surprised me initially is how sometimes going for environmentally-friendly packaging contributes to increased food waste —example, yoghurt packaged in paper cartons results in more yoghurt being tossed than yoghurt packaged in plastic containers.
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
(Post 35219007)
Based on what I have seen at homes with 7+ categories of sorted garbage, I suspect that families with kids may generate more such waste than elderly, childless couples and empty nesters.
Originally Posted by GUWonder
(Post 35219007)
What surprised me initially is how sometimes going for environmentally-friendly packaging contributes to increased food waste —example, yoghurt packaged in paper cartons results in more yoghurt being tossed than yoghurt packaged in plastic containers.
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Originally Posted by JBord
(Post 35219141)
In watching my nieces and nephews, I'd wager this is probably a fact rather than a mere suspicion.
This doesn't surprise me at all if it's truly paper. Kind of like why one plastic plate = 2 paper plates at a picnic. I'm not a yogurt-eater, but for similar packages, I usually see a wax lining which at least works almost as well as plastic. I hang out with probably way too many TetraPak types — and also too many IKEA engineer types — but the TetraPak experts also agreed coated paper inside such cartons doesn’t do much to address the issue with the supposedly more environmentally-friendly paper packaging of yoghurt coming with more waste than less environmentally-friendly packaging. For example, the larger paper cartons come with more yoghurt wasted than the smaller paper cartons because they are both designed with bottle cap type openings. And even the ones that were designed to be cut open — rather than poured out of an opened bottle cap — have the same issue with bigger container (by volume) coming with more food waste than smaller containers of the same material and form. Maybe TetraPak and the like should adopt a Pringles chip can type design instead if wanting to reduce wasted yoghurt ending up in the paper packaging waste bins. Given what’s gone on with food prices, maybe the volume of food waste declines more than the value of the food waste. Especially at a time when people don’t seem to be filling grocery carts like they used to do around those parts where yoghurt is primarily sold in paper cartons. |
I've stopped buying "fresh" herbs in stores. This time of year you can get a plant of dill/basil/oregano/mint/parsley/whatever for the cost of one bunch of herbs. That and a flower pot and some potting soil, you've got fresh herbs for months, and come fall, you can dry what's left of the plant.
All fruit and veg scraps & egg shells go in the compost bin, which over time goes in the vegetable garden - so I don't count that as truly wasted. I raised my kid to eat leftovers, and often cook big batches of stew, pasta, etc, planning ahead for the next night or the chest freezer in the basement. Overall, I would say our food waste is pretty low, nowhere near $1,500 per year. |
Originally Posted by GUWonder
(Post 35219213)
Given what’s gone on with food prices, maybe the volume of food waste declines more than the value of the food waste. Especially at a time when people don’t seem to be filling grocery carts like they used to do around those parts where yoghurt is primarily sold in paper cartons. |
Originally Posted by BamaVol
(Post 35219381)
The volume may be down, but given higher prices, it may be more than $1,500 now.
I find that there is way less frequent filling of the paper packaging and plastic packaging bins than used to be the case in a place hit by food inflation much worse than the US while also having less of a child (and general) poverty problem. From that and other things, it seems to me than when a consumer’s consumption volume goes down, that consumer’s waste volume probably goes down too. Maybe the food waste volume falls too as people start scraping clean the butter, become more careful with cutting/peeling the skin/fat/blemished parts off meat/poultry/fish and fruits/produce. |
Originally Posted by GUWonder
(Post 35219422)
Maybe the food waste volume falls too as people start scraping clean the butter, become more careful with cutting/peeling the skin/fat/blemished parts off meat/poultry/fish and fruits/produce.
Not only the amount of waste, but the value of the waste should decrease. I have a habit today, based on my parent's saying this to me 40+ years ago when I couldn't finish my restaurant meal -- "At least finish the meat, that's the expensive part". I still literally pick the "expensive" things out of a restaurant salad or whatever when I can't finish my meal. |
We also have compost bins that the town picks up every week, so I know we fill about 1-2 of the brown paper compost bags per week. Of course not all of that is wasted food, probably a good 10% is just used tea bags :D
In case anyone else is late to learning this (like I was), if you rinse your berries and store them in a sealed mason jar instead of the little plastic containers they come in, they will last SO MUCH LONGER! At least two to three times longer than they would otherwise. |
Originally Posted by KirstieMac
(Post 35231719)
In case anyone else is late to learning this (like I was), if you rinse your berries and store them in a sealed mason jar instead of the little plastic containers they come in, they will last SO MUCH LONGER! At least two to three times longer than they would otherwise.
One thing that people do need to research (I found) is how quickly certain vegetables and fruits spoil if you put them in the fridge or freezer. My mom learned this the hard way with bittermelons. A week after putting them into "cold storage" they would quickly turn yellow and become inedible. |
Originally Posted by GUWonder
(Post 35219007)
The amount of food waste and scraps from food preparation that ends up in the food waste paper bags placed in compost bins over two weeks is both impressive and stunning at the same time. Based on what I have seen at homes with 7+ categories of sorted garbage, I suspect that families with kids may generate more such waste than elderly, childless couples and empty nesters. $1500 of average household food waste per year in countries with GDP per capita of $40k or more? Wouldn’t surprise me at all. What surprised me initially is how sometimes going for environmentally-friendly packaging contributes to increased food waste —example, yoghurt packaged in paper cartons results in more yoghurt being tossed than yoghurt packaged in plastic containers.
We can't force him to eat his food but once we've prepared it, it can only be saved and offered again so many times before it has to go into the bin / compost / disposal / etc. Even the times he does eat it, he may not eat the whole thing and that adds up. The dog is the big beneficiary when it's chicken or beef but when it's vegetables most of the time they eventually end up getting wasted |
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