What can be done to reduce food waste?

cbrown372

Really interesting segment on Jeremy Vine today with a lady who started a project in North of England planting food like apple trees, raspberries in spare patches of land and anyone is allowed to pick it. I think started in land attached to library's or doctors. Very inspiring lady.

ERICS_MUM

I probably stand alone with my view, so I've got my flack jacket at the ready !

People should be able to work out for themselves how much food to buy in order to make sure they have enough for the meal(s) but not too much which could result in waste. It's not rocket science and I dont see why school time should be spent teaching food and money sense.

I certainly don't need to be told that if I want one onion I will go to the loose produce aisle in Tesco, but if I need a lot to make a French Onion soup I will buy a net of 5. Or I'll go to a farm shop or green grocers where it's easier get loose fruit & veg.

In my first 2 years at secondary school (50 years ago !!!), we had one year of needlework, learning how to hand sew, turn up hems, sew on buttons, use a sewing machine etc. The 2nd year was cookery, teaching us the basics such as making pastry, baking cakes, different ways to cook meat etc. We didn't cover the costs nor the health considerations of food, it was assumed we'd work it out ourselves.

My siblings and I learned most from our parents. We all learned to cook, do laundry and ironing from Mum (my brother has always done the ironing and can cook quite nicely for his family). Dad taught us how to replace light bulbs, unblock kitchen sinks, paint (gloss and emulsion). Grandad had us 'help' in his garden.

Ditto with money. We grew up seeing Mum and Dad sit down every Thurs with Dads pay packet, making piles of money for bills, some for food, and some for savings. Dad took the bills and savings to the bank next day, Mum put the food money in her purse and that had to last the week.

Nowadays there is such a lot of info, recipes, cost saving ideas, money sense etc on the Internet, I don't see why people can't help themselves and also help the environment, cut waste etc. Is it that food and 'stuff' is so readily available and relatively cheap for many people that they buy indiscrimately and then decide they don't want it ?

Mojisola

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

Is it that food and 'stuff' is so readily available and relatively cheap for many people that they buy indiscrimately and then decide they don't want it ?

I think that's behind a lot of the waste that happens.

moneyistooshorttomention

Some valid points Eric's Mum.

I still think it's worth being open to different ways of teaching people how to cook/use up foods. I'd be willing to bet an awful lot arent learning a thing as they are brought up.

I know I certainly never learnt anything at all whilst growing up - and I'm baby boomer generation!

I very rarely get the chance to watch anyone else preparing food (outside of cookery programmes on tv and YouTube) and it's surprising what obvious little things one can pick up still at my age. For instance - someone telling me the other day that I was preparing the particular veg. concerned in a way that wasnt very "efficient". They told me how they do it - and cue for me having an "Ah-hah - that's how I'll do it in future" moment. It's just more "real" somehow when the person is actually physically there with you and can see just how you are doing things left to yourself and then demonstrates just how they do it personally.

Lynplatinum

Hiya

Totally agree with the poster who commented about the food handling in Supermarkets - both by the staff and people and children.

Dont get me started on what people allow their children to do in Supermarkets - my sons used to look on horrified at other kids and make comments to be along the lines that they would have not dared to behave that way. They are now 30 and 33 years old! things havent improved! And will people PLEASE stop putting their children into the shopping trolleys - their shoes have been on the pavement - in the dirt and worse!!! Grrrr
(Sorry going off topic)
On the one hand - making the counters higher would prevent children messing about with produce but on the other hand this would further disenfranchise wheelchair users and people like me - who are of reasonable height!
again - its educaition! but by whom? how? when?
that is an interesting debate to be had!

ViolaLass

I don't think we really know who is wasting what, how much and why (there will be groups of answers, not just one).

If we don't know that, we can't suggest solutions.

sooty&sweep

Eric's Mum, I totally agree BUT you were taught by your mum & dad. Im the same I learnt to cook from my mum.
However in society there are families that rely on convenience meals because they don't know how to cook.
If money is tight they don't have the money to 'waste' trying new things when there is no guarantee that the family will eat the result so they stick to what they're familiar with even though it costs more.
In Blackpool we've run cookery courses that start with how to chop an onion.

Jen

sooty&sweep

Hi
I'd also add that I don't think today's credit / credit card society helps. To me there is a large element of society who perceive it normal / OK to live beyond their means & rely on credit to fund their lifestyle.
If their attitude changed & they also found it harder to get credit then they'd be more likely to watch their pennies to make them stretch further & be less likely to waste so much & consider so much as disposable.
Again it comes down to education & how to budget.
Jen

milasavesmoney

SS, is there a good response to these classes? I love the concept.

lobbyludd

I'm not going to suggest the reasons for or the solutions to other people's food waste because the fact is I simply don't know why it happens in other people's households.

In my house we try not to waste food, or really anything, but - it's a balance. I am a single parent of 2 children, I work full time at a demanding job, I meal plan and buy food accordingly, but sometimes, I am so tired I cannot face cooking "x" from scratch as planned and we have beans on toast instead, or something happens like my stressed teen has a melt down over the texture of the re-heated veg, and picking my battles I let him have some peas instead, and some food goes in the bin.

In order to decrease this food waste I'd need more time or a cook please.

it's not about my ability to cook (if I couldn't and bought only ready meals and packaged food there would be zero food waste....), or BOGOF's, vegetarianism, my attitude, budgetting ability, education, access to credit, proximity to shops, being rich, having wasteful values etc, or slavishly following use-by dates: it's about time and stress.