Category Archives: International

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 | Also posted in College, Supermarket | Comments closed

Bloody Good?

We’re all familiar with that Dracula line: “I vaant to suck your blood!” But these days, the non-Twilight set may be more interested in eating it. No, it’s not a post-Halloween joke: many cultures use animal blood as part of their cuisine. You have blood pancakes, blood pudding and blood porridge. And blood is used […]

November 1, 2012 | Also posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Tuesday Buffet

There’s some evidence that the issue of food waste is catching on in China, albeit in a fairly political way. According to the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League, the abundant food waste can be blamed on the wealthy. — — Waitrose, the British grocery chain, just announced that it now sends no food […]

October 30, 2012 | Also posted in Anaerobic Digestion, Friday Buffet, Supermarket | Comments closed

Food *Waste* Revolution?

Fresh off tackling obesity, Jamie Oliver will now turn his attention to food waste with his next TV project. At least that’s what his pal, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, he of the valiant Fish Fight campaign, announced for at a recent press conference. It’s not clear whether this would be on US or UK television, but I’d bet on […]

October 17, 2012 | Also posted in College, History and Culture | Comments closed

European Produce Pondering

On Friday, I was surprised to hear the finding that 50% of Europe’s fruits and vegetables aren’t eaten. Turns out I missed one small word–that close to 50% is wasted. Not a big deal, though, as nearly everyone uses tiny modifiers for impact. With or without modifiers, European produce waste is shocking. Yet even worse is North […]

October 9, 2012 | Also posted in Composting, Household, Stats | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Wait, what?! According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 50% of Europe’s fruit and vegetables are wasted. I’ll have more on this staggering news on Monday. — — Lots of food waste discussion up in Canada. A recent report found that 51% of Canadian food waste comes from homes. I’m not sure I’d classify that as […]

October 5, 2012 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Friday Buffet, Household, Stats, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

To these ears, the linked stories on milk wastage in Senegal and the US sounded like some high-quality reporting. — — A national network is brewing on college campuses…a Food Recovery Network. — — Wasted, the excellent new NRDC food waste report, continues to receive plenty of well-deserved coverage. One small reminder–The NRDC report didn’t “find” that […]

August 31, 2012 | Also posted in College, Food Recovery | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s an interesting nugget shedding light on how The Cheesecake Factory manages its kitchen inventory. Of course, nothing said about plate waste. — — An restaurant in Sydney, Australia will be closing because of diminished business due to the restaurateur’s strict rules–including compelling customers to ‘try to finish everything’ and bring their own take-home containers. It’s […]

August 10, 2012 | Also posted in Composting, Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

I’m all for a machine that helps determine avocado ripeness by tapping it and listening to acoustics. Coming soon to a UK supermarket near you… — — Great title: “Food, too, is wasted on the young.” (Think about it for a second.) And the article has some eye-opening stats on Australian food waste. — — Just […]

July 20, 2012 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Friday Buffet, Household, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

In the UK, the quasi-governmental agency WRAP launched the Hospitality and Food Services Agreement, which allows restaurants to pledge a 5% food and packaging waste reduction by 2015. Domino’s, McDonald’s, Unilever and 2o-odd others have signed on in Britain. Exciting news, but I fear that the companies will focus on packaging (which would be useful, but not […]

June 29, 2012 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Personal, Restaurant, Waste Stream | Comments closed