According to a waste strategy paper released by Food Innovation Australia, Australia produces 7.6 million tonnes of food waste per year, which equals to 312 kilos of food (about 70 percent of this is edible) per person. And this was at a time when one in six Australian adults struggled to access enough to eat in the past 12 months.
Most of us probably don’t realize how much food we throw away every day—from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce.
More than 96 percent of the food we throw away ends up in landfills… to rot. When this happens, methane is produced—a harmful greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. It is estimated that 7 percent of greenhouse gases produced globally are due to preventable food waste. Additionally, when food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food—including water, land, energy, labour, and capital—also go to waste.
Here are the benefits of reducing food loss and waste:
● Lowers household food expenses
● Reduced disposal costs for restaurants, processors and farmers
● Increased food availability to the most vulnerable
● Reduces methane emissions from landfills and limits your carbon footprint
● Conserves energy and lessens pressure on land and water resources, preventing pollution
Preventing food from going to waste in your own home is one of the easiest and most powerful actions you can take to save money and lower your climate change footprint.
You can start by taking shorter trips to the grocery store each week rather than one longer trip to prevent you from buying too much food. Ensure to make a shopping list before leaving the house to avoid purchasing unnecessary foods.
Storing food correctly is key in keeping it fresh. Fruits and vegetables last longer if kept in their original packaging and stored in the crisper of your fridge. Meanwhile, always store cooked foods and leftovers in sealed containers before refrigerating.
Meal planning is another effective way to reduce food waste and save on your food bills. It just takes a little bit of time to do it but it makes grocery shopping so much easier, plus, it takes the stress out of thinking about what to cook for dinner.
But if you don’t have time to plan your meals and make home-cooked healthy meals every night of the week, ordering ready-made frozen meals is your best bet. With ready meals, there is no shopping necessary and you don’t have to worry about missing some ingredients. Since freezing preserves nutrients, frozen foods have more vitamins and minerals and there is no change to their carbohydrate, protein, or fat content. To top it all, frozen foods help reduce food waste because you use only what you need—meaning, it’s good in terms of cost, as well as the environment.
Gourmet Meals manufactures and delivers healthy, nutritious, and great tasting, individually portion-controlled frozen meals. We prepare and cook everything for you, so all you need to do is heat it up and enjoy! Check out our menu here.
Tags: Reducing Food Waste, Food Waste, Reduce Landfill, Portion-controlled Meals, Frozen Meals Delivered, Frozen Meals, Gluten-free Meals Delivered, Frozen Meals Delivered
