Author Archives: Jonathan

Zapping Bread Waste?

Texas company MicroZap has found a way to redefine bread’s shelf life by keeping it mold-free for 60 days. This isn’t done by using a freezer or all-powerful preservatives, but rather by sending bread through a “sophisticated microwave array” resembling an assembly line. While this solution feels a bit…unnatural, it’s similar to pasteurization of milk (which […]

December 3, 2012 | Posted in Food Safety, Household | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Beautiful rot? That may or not be an oxymoron, but Joe Buglewicz’s photography series Rotten is worth a look. It’s similar to Klaus Pichler’s fabulous One Third project. — — Feeding the 5,000, that fabulous public event using rescued foods to feed the needy, happened in Dublin this week. Have a look: — — The Dublin […]

November 30, 2012 | Posted in Food Recovery, Hunger, International | Comments closed

Do Those Veggie Scraps Mean Anything?

It has been a busy few days for food waste on the National media Public Radio front. First, Marketplace had this look at the Economics of Wasted Leftovers. Then, Talk of the Nation ran an in-depth conversation about waste (which included my perspective). Next, Morning Edition examined why restaurants don’t prioritize food waste in a […]

November 29, 2012 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Stick a Fork In It

Thanks to everyone who strived for a Zero Waste Thanksgiving. And if that describes you, then you’ll appreciate this video:

November 27, 2012 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Baste, Taste, then Don’t Waste

This Thanksgiving, America will throw away more than 400 Statue of Liberty’s worth of turkey (by weight).  Based on estimates, we’ll discard 203 million pounds of turkey, at a cost of $282 million. That’s fowl. — Thanksgiving is about being thankful for and celebrating abundance. Yet these days, we tend to do that by serving an […]

November 21, 2012 | Posted in History and Culture, Household | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The burgeoning site Say No To Food Waste was kind enough to create this nice collection of food waste studies. — — I’d definitely sign up for a Waste Buster scheme, especially if it involves Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and the gang. — — The issue of wasted food received some nice exposure here, courtesy of Joy […]

November 16, 2012 | Posted in Composting, Restaurant, Stats, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Putting the Green in Green Mountain State

Vermont towns are starting to sift through a recent law enacted that will change how they interact with waste. Through a series of steps to begin in 2015, Act 148 (lawyerese full text) will revolutionize the state’s approach to trash. As explained in this simplified version on page 9-10, the bill will require residents to […]

November 13, 2012 | Posted in Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Food is too cheap, according to the head of Unilever, which prompts much waste in the developed world. Yes, but…there are still so many who don’t get enough to eat. Meanwhile, in that same article, we learn that Londoners waste half the food they buy. — — Not to be outdone, the entire country of […]

November 9, 2012 | Posted in College, International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Let’s Get to Work!

And so there will be another four years for President Obama. Last night’s results are unlikely to impact food waste, but it is worth noting that the Obama Administration has been friendly to the sustainable food movement. Sure, most of that support has been symbolic, emanating from the White House Garden (that you can visit!). […]

November 7, 2012 | Posted in Legislation | Comments closed

Sandy Summary

There’s a difference between waste and loss. But no matter what we call it, East Coasters have discarded a whole lot of food in the last week as a result of Sandy. There’s the in-home loss caused by not having power or a back-up generator. Restaurants also experience the that problem, but one Manhattan eatery […]

November 5, 2012 | Posted in Environment, Food Safety, Waste Stream | Comments closed