• Replies 6 replies
  • Subscribers 85 subscribers
  • Views 1438 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Increased food waste issues

Holly

Hiya, I am quite sustainably conscious and I am struggling with the amount of food we are wasting. My children are both on the spectrum and are picky eaters and although they are now eating much better, we try new foods regularly and even foods they used to like they suddenly don't like anymore. This means we end up with loads of food waste. I have a compost for fruit and veg scraps but the amount of food we waste daily is awful. I try to save food from plates and even donate leftovers. I am wondering what everyone else does to decrease their food waste?

  • Perhaps try serving out the food in central dishes and encourage the children to just try a little at first until they're sure. Then when they're more confident they like something they can go back for more. Encourage them to only put on their plate what they are able to eat. If you are able to get them onboard with the concept of food waste even better.

    I recall my issues with food as a child. I would find the more food that was on my plate the more overwhelming it seemed and I wouldn't be able to eat it. Taking a little at a time and then adding more later meant that the plate was less daunting and I could eat more of the food.

  • in reply to Peter

    The Japanese fashion industry is a good example of JIT. It’s really hard to figure out what crazy fashion will catch on next. So fashion labels made very small runs of items and shipped them to shops. Then what sold well they’d make more of. So to do that with out running out of popular stuff they had to have really short times to restock shops with very flexible manufacturing and logistics. Think of the fridge as your shop. Buy less for it more often and be really observant about what is and isn’t being eaten and there will be less waste. Try doing market research (ask your kids what they like) but remember what they actually like and say they like may differ.

  • Change your shoping habits. Avoid doing one big shop. Do two or 3 smaller ones a week. Never buy in bulk. That way if something gets thrown away it’s just the one thing. You’ve heard of just in time manufacturing? (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing) Try to apply that to food shoping.

  • No advice, just to say I totally understand this. My son will for example will want the same thing for breakfast every day, so we make sure we have enough so no panic that we will run out, then he goes off that and wants something else. It's the same with dinners, he liked baked potatoes with beans and cheese every Sunday then one day he had gone off them. 

  • In our household we consume little meat. It's mainly veg and dairy but there's only 2 of us. I batch cook and use leftovers for dinner. I prefer more plain things and then add to them. And i like creating meals out of bits and bobs but then, I have the time for it and we are not fussy. I still feel guilty throwing a bit of salad on the compost heap! I'm also trying to grow a bit more stuff this year.

    You are probably doing a lot more than most people in trying to be as sustainable as you are and even considering it. I think sometimes we want things to be too perfect and try to achieve too many things. You are doing your best to meet your kids needs and be sustainable. I think anything is better than nothing so you are probably doing a lot already. I don't think the rich people of this world worry about what food they have wasted. That doesnt mean we have to be the same but i do think its all a bit futile. Sorry if that's not the answer you wanted but I think sometimes we have to be realistic and allow ourselves a bit of slack if we are already making a good effort.