Wasting food isn’t just careless and uneconomical – it also adds carbon dioxide emissions to the environment. More than half of all food produced in Canada is lost or wasted, which adds up to more than $1,700 per household according to secondharvest.ca
Shop smart.
Look for recyclable or compostable products and packaging. Consumers have a significant impact by choosing environmentally conscious products.
Store smart.
One of the main ways we waste food is by having it expire before we get a chance to use it. To help avoid this, learn how to store different items – what goes in the fridge, what goes out, what goes in the pantry. For example, treat fresh herbs like flowers and set them upright in water to extend their shelf life. Items like dairy and fresh meat are best kept in the lower shelf of your fridge, not the door which varies in temperature and is often warmer.
Preserve smart.
With physical distancing guidelines in place for the last few months, most of us have been spending more time at home and picking up new hobbies. While gardening and sourdough baking were early hits, now is a good time to try your hand at a variety of preservation techniques including canning, pickling, drying and fermenting. Learning to safely preserve foods at home can help you take advantage of fresh, local produce when it’s in season, try new recipes and flavours, and stock your pantry and freezer with ready-made meals for last minute timesavers.
