Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: cutting back food waste
From the ground up, producers to consumers, Americans are wasting lots of food. About 30% of farmed produce is never sold because of imperfections, however minor or cosmetic. Farmers destroy their crops-plow them back into the ground or send them to landfills- because it’s cheaper to do that than to find consumer markets for imperfect produce. Supermarkets throw out inconceivable amounts of prepared and packaged foods due to fear of selling something at or near the sell-by date. As individual consumers, Americans throw out between 1/3 - ¼ of the groceries they buy. At each level, there is enormous waste of money and resources. And as an added “fuck you” to the Earth, decomposing food in landfills produces methane, a gnarly greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
The food waste situation is infuriating, but as animals we have to eat. The problem is bigger than any one person can solve, but I at least wanted to feel like my choices were solution-oriented. I decided to reframe my food purchases using the classic “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” model.
Refusing means not using unnecessary things. Applied to food, it means that I don’t eat foods that are highly impactful on the Earth. Being a vegetarian makes this easy: I don’t eat fish because fishing destroys aquatic ecosystems, and I don’t eat meat or dairy, which require the most water and land resources per unit of nutrition they provide.
Reducing my food purchases has been the biggest challenge. Americans are conditioned to be arch-consumers. Supermarkets are designed to make you buy even when you don’t need to. Here in California, fresh produce is beautiful and plentiful. Berkeley Bowl carries like eight varieties of pluots, and I want all of them, even though I know I’d throw most of them away. To reduce impulse food buying, I’ve started using a meal preparation app that helps me plan meals and create shopping lists based on those plans. Another way I’m reducing waste is by purchasing “ugly” produce from a local Oakland company, Imperfect Produce; more on that in a later post.
With less food coming into my home, I can focus on producing less waste going out. One way to do this is by reusing food, and thereby extending its usable lifespan. When fruit go past their prime I put them in tupperware in the freezer to use in smoothies and baked goods. I freeze veggie bits that would normally be thrown away (onion peels, carrot tops, tough ends of kale) in a tupperware and make a big pot of vegetable stock. I use the stock to cook rice, make soups, in and stir-frys. And, as an ex-Portlandia resident, of course I can pickle that. But I don’t know it all, so if you have any good ideas for recipes involving paste-their-prime produce, please submit them to me at whatwehadfordinner.tumblr.com.
Recycling food is getting easier, because Oakland has mandated composting for all buildings. Waste Management picks up food scraps and yard clippings from our county, and turns it into compost that you can get for free if you show up at the Berkeley Marina and pretend to be a Berkeley resident on the last Saturday of the month.
Is any of this making a difference? I don’t know. I think I’m saving money and throwing away less food. I’m still looking for more ways to reduce my imprint and I’m open to suggestions.
