Leftover food …

I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal that discussed about leftover food. It had received a spot light in the UK where the government simply advised the grocery stores to display the “until” instead of “sell by” dates. Hoping to guide the consumers on what to do with the food that was still sitting in their fridges. Hoping to reduce wasting unnecessary food.

Another interesting fact worth mentioning is: According to the Wall Street Journal, “the average U.S. family of four spends from $500 to $2,000 a year on food they never eat, according to researchers' estimates.”  -- Imagine what we could do with that money. A little vacation perhaps? 
(cited from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577293620871384492.html)

--courtesy of mindyourdecisions.com

It is interesting topic to think about. I know one mom that only buys groceries when her fridge is almost empty. She plans well and is very creative in mixing what's left to provide edible and appealing foods on the table. I remember those days when I actually cooked. Yes. I did! Back in college and during my early years before my kids. I actually cooked, though I did not even enjoy it once. Cooking for survival. I never wasted any food in the fridge. Considering that point of view, I was pretty creative. I would mix and match whatever was left and make something up. Not sure how it tasted, but hey! There was food on the table and it came from me, the reluctant chef. It was pretty decent. –At least that what I thought :-)

On the serious side, there are ways to avoid wasting food in IMHO. Simply take an inventory list on what is left and write a menu on what to cook for the week. Only purchase missing items from the recipes.  I know real chefs don’t do this. But, this is what we try to do in our household. We try to minimize wasting food. Though sometimes we still do, especially that yogurt jar that I bought each month hoping to use as my face mask before I retire each nite. Well, sadly, most of the time they ended up in the waste bin.

There are a couple tips that I could take away from the article:

-          - After the date passes, if the food is kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below for the recommended storage, it is probably still edible. (Please double check though)

-          - "Give it a smell, look at it, [and] maybe even taste it" before tossing food, suggests Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, a book about food waste. "We have fairly well-developed instincts as a species for knowing if something is good or not."

      

      Hope you have enjoyed this part of my journey, the visit I payed to the left-over foods, as much as I am writing it. I actually can't believe that we waste so much food each year. I am hoping to raise awareness so that we only buy what we need. It would help lessen food waste and put our money in good use. Hint: Perhaps for a vacation to Venice?
  
      Until next stop,
Journey of Life

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