Category Archives: Household

New Year, New Resolutions

Believe it or not, another year is finished (again?). As we celebrate 2009’s beginning, let’s resolve to reduce food waste. Because I doubt I can communicate my thoughts any better, here’s an op-ed I wrote in 2006. In addition to recycling ideas from two years ago (recycle, reduce, reuse, right?!), I’m making a few new […]

December 31, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Garden, Personal | Comments closed

Taking (Food) Out (of) The Trash

Here’s one more reason not to waste food: spare your garbageman the mess. The few days after Christmas, trash volume increases greatly, in some cases even doubling. Wrapping, packaging and cardboard make up a large portion of that mess. But just like those materials should be recycled, so should food. This means composting or feeding […]

December 29, 2008 | Also posted in Waste Stream | Comments closed

Stocking Stuffers

You tell ’em, Courtland Milloy: Check out any restaurant dumpster in downtown Washington or the trash cans along any street on garbage collection day, and you’re likely to find enough wasted food to fill those pantries to overflowing. — — Florida’s CBS 12 wants you to use canned vegetables to avoid waste. I’m with them […]

December 24, 2008 | Also posted in History and Culture, Hunger, International | Comments closed

Holiday Planning

With Hannukah already here and Christmas just about, it’s worth looking at this grocery shopping psychology study on “cabinet castaways.” The study, an oldie but a goodie, found that 63% of unused products were bought for specific purposes: When people buy products for specific recipes or specific occasions, they tend to be overly optimistic…After buying […]

December 23, 2008 | Also posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

This columnist’s pantry check yields waste and a New Year’s resolution. Plus, tales of gangster donations! — — I have only one rule here at Wasted Food: When a Danish dairy producer reduces waste through a process I don’t quite understand, I link to it. — — If you’re not yet sick of me, here’s […]

December 19, 2008 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, History and Culture, International | Comments closed

Holiday Shopping

There aren’t many items you can buy that will reduce food waste; it’s mostly what you do. That said, here are a few useful goodies: While a bruised banana isn’t necessarily a wasted one (it’s just the start of a smoothie or banana bread), that’s harder to pull off at work or school. That’s why […]

December 16, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Garden | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s an alternate take on the 3% wasted food charge discussed here Monday. By the way, that story really has legs… — — Amen–a Secretary of Food. Here’s an online petition to support a reformer for Secretary of Agriculture Food. — — Check out this topical interview with some dude who can’t seem to speak […]

December 12, 2008 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Restaurant, Unfinished Food Charge | Comments closed

Monday Morning Crumbs

If you’re thinking about donating a cooked turkey, don’t add stuffing! — — I’m all for avoiding waste, but I think this Thanksgiving tip goes a bit too far: Try and cook just the right amount of food for your family and friends because nothing is worse than wasted food. There should be a bit […]

November 21, 2008 | Also posted in History and Culture, Hunger, International | Comments closed

Numbers

Our friends at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) just published their October 2008 data and it’s mixed news. Overall, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was down 1 percent from September. Good for pocketbooks, but bad for the economy. One D word–‘deflation’–has economists fretting about another–‘depression.’ OK, OK, what about food? Looking at the specifics, […]

November 20, 2008 | Also posted in Stats | Comments closed

Back to Frugal

In August, I gave a shout out to The Frugal Girl for striving to eliminate her family’s food waste. She’s kept up the good work since then and just recently reached pay dirt. Last week, for only the second week since she began in March, her family made zero food waste. Nada. How do I […]

November 10, 2008 | Posted in Household | Comments closed