According to a report prepared by the UN, every year a third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted or lost worldwide, which means some 1,300 tons of food thrown away. This is a chilling figure if we take into account not only hunger in the third world, but also the economic hardships that a large part of the Spanish population affected by the crisis is going through.
Rummage through the garbage
It is increasingly common to see people rummaging through rubbish bins, at the exit of a restaurant or a supermarket. Many times, what leads people to do this is the simple necessity produced by a scarcity of economic resources. And it is that the containers of restaurants and supermarkets become a real free shopping basket for the amount of food in perfect condition that they deposit there.
Perfectly usable and consumable products end up in the containers due to poor management, because they are close to their expiration date, because they have packaging defects or labeling errors, etc. This waste is not only an offense against those who have nothing, but also significant ecological damage.
That is why you can find among those people who search the containers, people who do it not because they do not have sufficient financial resources, but as a form of protest. It is a growing social movement that denounces the waste in which we live and they call themselves freegan.
Ideas for not throwing food
At a domestic level we also throw away too much food , unaware that we can do a few things to avoid this habit that is so unecological and completely lacking in responsibility and social sensitivity.
The first step to avoid having to throw food away is to plan both the menus and the purchase. If we take into account both the number of guests and the amounts to be consumed by each person, we will avoid buying food in excess.
Organization is essential. Try to consume the most perishable foods first and pay attention to refrigerate the food in a suitable container or properly covered . If there is something that you are not going to be able to eat for several days, it is better to freeze it, but remember that frozen foods also expire, so write down the date of freezing.
When buying food, choose seasonal and quality products, do not get carried away by an impeccable appearance or spectacular packaging, because you can end up taking more than you need.
Remember that the expiration date is indicative and most products usually have a wider margin to be able to consume them safely . Do not rush to throw away expired food.
You can also use leftovers . The bread can last you several days if you make it toasted or you can also add it to any soup. You can prepare a puree with any leftover vegetables and any fillet you have from the day before goes very well with salads . One resource you can always turn to is croquettes, which can be made from almost any food you have left over.
You just need to reflect a little, in this way it is not so difficult to get involved in a more responsible, more sustainable and fairer consumption.
