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 a Spanish strawberry grower have teamed up to track the berries temperature on their continental journey.

photo by midnight comm via creative commonsThe RFID tags measure the temperature of each pallet every 15 minutes of the journey and, upon arrival at its destination, wirelessly transmit the info to a computer.

From that point, a program calculates the remaining shelf life of the fruit. That info allows retailers to determine which strawberries are ripest and should be put on display first.

Eelco de Jong, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Ambient Systems (the Dutch company): “It is great to be able to contribute to a reduction in the loss of wasted food.”

While the article doesn’t discuss it, I’m hoping that this advance could lead to smarter expiration dates based on how the product has been handled, not a cautious best guess. That would mean stamping or printing a date on packages at the store, but how hard could that be?

September 8, 2009 | Posted in International, Supermarket, Technology | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

A Cape Cod mother reflects on how much trash can collect in just one weekend. The article includes an interesting discussion of reducing waste via Pay-As-You-Throw trash collection.

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Good to see the (tennis) U.S. Open is composting the food scraps from its central kitchens, but why not have composting bins on the concourse for fans? We’ll call it deuce.

Mr. Fusion. Photo by Don Solo via Creative Commons— —

Fuel from beer, wine and tequila waste? We’re one step closer to the Mr. Fusion becoming a reality. Guess that makes sense because Doc Brown had the contraption on his DeLorean when returning from 2015, which, scarily, isn’t too far off. 

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It must be around Labor Day if there’s talk of traylessness. Yale’s Commons Dining Hall is experimenting with going trayless by trying it on a week-to-week basis. BUT, Yale won’t remove trays from residential dining halls because the increased trips would cause “congestion.” Heaven forbid!

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Here’s a bit more info about Costco composting, which I wrote about on Wednesday. While headed in the right direction, they’re only separating organics at a few California stores. The best part is that the food scraps are sent to a worm composter, whose wigglers create a fertilizer sold in some Costco locations.

September 4, 2009 | Posted in College, Composting, Energy, Events, Friday Buffet, Trayless, Vermiculture, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Discount Compost Clubs

It’s time to think big. Big as in warehouse clubs. I’ve begun to hear more talk of composting at these discount stores and I’d like to hear more.

Since I’m fairly critical of the bulk in which these stores make you buy food, it’s only fair that I give credit when it’s due. So keep it up, big guys. It’s now just a trickle of stores, but that will surely increase when they realize what all retailers should–diverting the heaviest stuff from your dumpsters will probably save you money on your waste bill (if you’re paying by the weight, not the frequency).

While I’d love to see this done chain-wide, The Livermore, Calif., Costco sends food to a worm farm as part of a 4-month-old program yielding an 80 percent reduction in what’s landfilled. There’s even a might we see a compost bin in this picture soon? Photo by guybo via creative commonscompostables bin in the food court for everything from customers’ food to their plates and utensils.

Sam’s Club has also started composting at one of its main stores. Deep in the heart of Wal-Mart country, Sam’s is taking part in a composting trial run with the no-frills Fayetteville Compost Facility. And given the store, it’s bringing heaps of food waste to the municipal composter:

The city is already involved in a pilot program with Sam’s Club, which brings in 1.3 tons of food waste per week

That’s 2,600 pounds per week, or about 370 pounds per day of food waste, all from the back of the store. Now if Sam’s would only encourage/enable their customers to participate…

My sense is that they haven’t implemented a consumer composting bin because Arkansas is a long way from California, in more than one way. Then again, Fayetteville is the “Berkeley of Arkansas,” so come on Sam(‘s)!

September 2, 2009 | Posted in Composting | 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.

image courtesy of To-GenkyoI love the idea, since it focuses on when the food actually isn’t fit for eating, not a comically cautious “best-before” date or an ambiguous “sell-by” date. Of course, the discussion now would be around what “unsafe to eat” means.

I’m wondering: do these stickers also have an expiration date? Any Japanese readers out there able to do some translating? Here’s a better image, from the designer’s site.

In addition, since the topic was posted on a design site, I’d be remiss if I didn’t compliment Fresh Labels’ hourglass shape. Clever!

August 31, 2009 | Posted in Food Safety, International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s a look inside the food-waste-to-energy plant in Oakland. Hey Bay Area folks, keep your oyster shells, rags and rocks out of the compost!

odd-shaped watermelon like this could soon become fuel. photo by General Wesc via Creative Commons— —

Using watermelon cast-offs to make fuel? Seriously? I thought watermelon was about 99% water? And which have more energy–original or seedless?

Of course, it’d be great if we weren’t so superficial about our produce’s appearance. Yet, I suppose it’s better than tilling it back into the soil. A third way: watermelon juice is a fad waiting to happen. 

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The idea of not buying any groceries for a month is less of a “challenge” when you have the accumulation stemming from $800 of monthly food shopping. Good Lord did you see that woman’s freezer?! But, anyway, good on ya, lady.

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Finally, Paula Deen and Smithfield teamed up to donate 25,000 pounds of ham to a Tennessee food pantry. Not sure on Deen’s role, but seems like it was using her fame to get local media and people like me to cover the event. Mission accomplished! 

Anyway, kudos to Deen for bringing attention to food banks and donations. Whether that makes up for her assault on American arteries is another matter.

August 28, 2009 | Posted in Farm, Food Recovery, Food Safety, Friday Buffet, Household, Supermarket, Technology | Comments closed

S.Y.S. (Save Yer Scraps)

Today, I spoke with chef Liza Shaw of San Francisco’s A16. The Italian restaurant has a bit of a reputation for its Meatball Mondays, where they serve the uber-popular dish made from scraps and trimmings.

A16's meatballs. Photo by Biskuit via Creative CommonsA16 mostly uses prosciutto scraps saved throughout the week. No wonder they’re so good! 

I realized meatloaf, sausages and soups were good uses for odds and ends, but for some reason, I’d never lumped meatballs into that category. Shaw said they usually add beef left from other dishes, and that they’ve included lamb, duck and chicken scraps in the past.

Another secret is the 60/40 meat-to-bread ratio, which not only stretches your meat supply but makes the meatballs retain the drippings. In fact, using too much meat is detrimental, as they dry out.

Shaw uses her old-ish bread here, so it’s a case where repurposing and saving foods creates a more savory dish. Does anyone do this at home–with meatballs or another food item?

August 26, 2009 | Posted in Repurposing, Restaurant | Comments closed

That Last Plate

OK, let’s talk about the Never Ending Pasta Bowl at Olive Garden. First of all, shouldn’t it be the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl? Second, is it possible to stop thinking about The NeverEnding Story while you’re eating? Because I’m having a hard time doing so now (Atreyuuuu!).

Sorry. Anyway, I just saw a Tweet from a frustrated Pasta Bowl customer after being told very late in the game that he wasn’t allowed to take home his leftovers. I’m wondering if olives in a garden-like setting. by prakhar via creative commonsthis is this the case at all Olive Gardens.

If this is indeed the policy, I can see the restaurants’ perspective–diners will abuse the system by loading up their plate on their final foray. Yet, what happens to the remaining food from customers who simply took more than they could handle on their last trip up?

Seems like we all suffer (and much food is wasted) to prevent a few from doing wrong. (Kind of like another pet peeve of mine–the checking of receipts at the door of a retail store.)

If doggie bags are banned, they should clearly state it on the menu or elsewhere, because hopefully that would affect how diners approach their meal. Maybe folks would make more trips and/or take less food each successive time.

This gets to a larger question of leftovers at all-you-can-eat buffets. Do any buffets allow leftovers to be taken home or have we betrayed the trust to the point where it’s not allowed?

August 24, 2009 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Semantics update: Don’t call it waste! After all, you wouldn’t throw away a resource, would you?

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Inmate gleaning?! Sure beats breaking rocks. Besides, how many license plates do states really need?photo by mister bisson via creative commons

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Here’s a study assessing the environmental impact of five different scenarios for handling food waste. It turns out that a garbage disposal is best, but that’s assuming your city or town has an anaerobic digester at its waste water treatment plant.

Oh, and by the way, the National Association of Heating-Plumbing-Cooling Contractors, no disinterested party, commissioned the study.

Useful info in the report: 75 percent of home waste goes down the disposal.

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Someone at Time Magazine has apparently seen Food, Inc. But the useful cover piece on the cost of cheap food gets into waste briefly on page four. 

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Finally, not exactly food-waste-related, but it’s good to see some colleges cutting down on their overall waste footprint by turning to reusable takeout containers. Note, these aren’t for leftovers, but for when students want to take meals to go.

August 21, 2009 | Posted in College, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Nature’s Gleaners

Are we anteaters or woodpeckers? That’s the question implied in this thought-provoking post from Beyond Bread. (Trust me, it makes sense upon reading.)

After making a distinction between those two animals, the piece delves into a discussion of the noble practice of farmer’s market food rescue. Recovering unsold produce at the end of a market just makes so much sense. If there’s one group of people who hate to waste food, it’s the folks who put so much time and effort into growing it. Plus, fresh produce is hard to come by for soup kitchens and food banks. And fresh, local produce is even better.

photo by Alastair Rae via Creative CommonsDoes anyone do this at your farmer’s market? If so, I’d love to hear how it works. If not, the opportunity is ripe for you to impact your community.

Speaking of which…is there anyone in the D.C. area with a large vehicle, some free time on Tuesday nights and a desire to help put good food to use? If so, see the end of the post for contact info.

August 19, 2009 | Posted in Farmers' Market, Food Recovery | 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!) photo by Hamed Saber via creative commonsrise during Ramadan. The Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction (TIVSA) noted that…

As part of their culture, people in Turkey place a heavy emphasis on preparing rich iftar (fast-breaking dinner) tables for their guests during Ramadan; however, this usually results in huge amounts of wasted food.

The article reminded Muslims that the desire to be hospitable should be balanced by this bottom line:

Ali Osman AteÅŸ from Çukurova University’s faculty of theology said on Thursday that people should avoid waste and extravagance, underlining that waste is haram — forbidden in Islam.  

In the UAE, not only has Gulf News written on Ramadan food waste, it has started an ambitious anti-waste special report:

Gulf News Wipe Out Waste (WoW) campaign looks at how people can manage the buying and consumption of food in a more effective manner during Ramadan to ensure a clean plate and a clean conscience.

While the campaign isn’t specific to food waste, it includes it. Best of all, they’ve already tackled one of my favorites–the confusion surrounding expiration dates.

August 17, 2009 | Posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed