Category Archives: International

Tech Tuesday

Who says technology and food waste avoidance don’t mix? That combination works quite well–just ask LeanPath. Which brings us to RFID tags, a microchip with an antenna that transmits information wirelessly to a reader. These tags are are now being used in Europe to track pallets’ progress through the “cool chain.” A Dutch company, a German retailer and […]

September 8, 2009 | Also posted in Supermarket, Technology | Comments closed

Time’s Up

From Japan comes the neat idea of meat labels that go dark when the food becomes unsafe, preventing bar code scanning. Fresh Labels work by detecting levels of ammonia in the meat, preventing stores from tampering with expiration dates, a recent problem in Japan. I love the idea, since it focuses on when the food […]

August 31, 2009 | Also posted in Food Safety, Supermarket | Comments closed

Iftar’s Leftovers…Save Them

It’s about that time of year again. No, not back to school–not quite yet. Ramadan. While the Muslim holy month doesn’t begin until Friday, the pre-holiday anti-waste press is ramping up. In Turkey, an anti-waste group warned that the nation’s troubling food waste levels (3.5 million loaves wasted/day!) rise during Ramadan. The Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction […]

August 17, 2009 | Also posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

BOGOF to Bug Off?

Bye bye, ‘buy-one-get-one-free?’ This beloved sales scheme is under threat in the UK, where it’s called BOGOF. The British government is working on its first food policy since WWII rationing ended and released a preliminary assessment on Monday. In the food policy, the government will call on retailers to abolish the tempting retail policy blamed for […]

August 12, 2009 | Also posted in Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Do missed shots with this popcorn flinging bucket mean food waste? Not if you believe in the five-second rule! Wild Fling, you do not make my heart sing.  — — Purdue University has plans to send its food waste to an existing anaerobic digester at a nearby waste water treatment plant.   And San Jose is looking at A.D. as […]

August 7, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Friday Buffet | Comments closed

Count me…In? Out?

We all have those fridge mysteries. Count On It labels are intended to solve those by reminding you when you opened a jar or bottle. The labels let you scratch off the day and month (what–no time of day?!) to eliminate the guesswork and possibly reduce the waste from unknown food safety. Lyndsey Young, a.k.a. […]

August 5, 2009 | Also posted in Food Safety, Household | Comments closed

Guest Post: Observations on Food Waste in China

Nathalie Lussier, the Raw Foods Witch, recently returned from a four-month trip to China. I was excited when she contacted me about sharing some of her observations on food waste in the most populous nation. Here’s her report: The “Finish Your Food Guilt” Trip There’s a wonderful, ironic comic strip by Mike Adams that really illustrates […]

July 20, 2009 | Also posted in Guest Posts | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The food waste book market is ‘hotting up.’ A book called Waste is now out in the UK. I’m excited about it and hope to get my hands on a copy soon. — — California’s East Bay MUD is the first wastewater treatment plant in the U.S. to turn post-consumer food waste into energy via […]

July 17, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Friday Buffet, Household | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

In fruit recovery news…Concord, California’s Lemon Lady got some good press. The Times had a solid piece on tree gleaning last month. And I just found out about Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, which specializes in tree fruit and whose site features a neat map of fruit trees gleaned. — — Ahh…Sweden. Each apartment in […]

July 10, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Household, School | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

On Wednesday, I wrote about a move in Britain to make expiration dates clearer as part of the “war on waste.” Here’s news of another battle in the war: waste-to-energy. — — Also from the UK (I have to learn another language or something), we learn that an increase in people living alone means more food waste. […]

June 12, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet | Comments closed