Keeping it fresh

From shop to fridge storage, minimising food waste can help your wallet and the planet.

- Jennifer Bowden

NUTRITION

Question:

In your April 30 column, you mentioned that reducing food waste was an excellent way to cut food costs. There’s nothing worse than losing good fruit and vegetables because they’re overripe. On that note, which fruits are the ones that produce gases that cause other produce to ripen more quickly?

Answer:

A startling 4% of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from our food and organic waste. It has been estimated that one-third of all the food we produce is lost or wasted each year, so reducing this wastage cuts not only our emissions, but also food costs.

It also lessens the emissions that occur during food production. Throwing a rotten bag of salad leaves in the bin may not seem like a big deal, but when we throw out food, we waste all of the resources, fuel and energy used to produce it. This includes growing the crops, transportation, processing, storage, refrigeration and cooking.

Fruit and vegetables are the most frequent victims of food waste, followed by meat and fish, then a leftover restaurant or takeaway foods.

Given these foods are typically refrigerated or frozen, paying more attention to managing our refrigerated food is an excellent place to start.

It begins at the shops, by buying only the best quality fruit and vegetables to maximise their shelf life. Bargain buys may not last as long.