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Jill Lipoti, Sustainable Development Teacher at Rutgers, Defines Food Waste and Explains its Negative Consequences for Humans and the Environment
Anne-Marie Caruso, North Jersey
Throughout the course of a food system, waste is generated, especially during processing and preparation.(Photo: Molly Jameson)
It's here: Thanksgiving. Turkey day. Clumsy dysfunctional family gathering.
And maybe the only thing more exciting than the turkey, the sauce, the green bean casserole and the pumpkin pie are the monster sandwiches we make with the remains of the next day.
But as we all have found at home, an embarrassing amount of Thanksgiving food ends up in the trash.
Food waste is a major problem in the United States and around the world, especially around Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Americans threw the equivalent of 6 million turkeys – worth about $ 293 million – during Thanksgiving last year, according to an environmental group. Natural Resources Defense Council. The group achieved its calculations by comparing the sales reports of the Turkish National Federation for Thanksgiving with the food waste estimates of the US Department of Agriculture.
We are wasting 200 million pounds of turkey
No matter how you handle the numbers, a shameful amount of turkey is in the trash. And this excess does not even include all the simmered dishes and stuffing that will remain in the back of your fridge for a while – and then be thrown away a week later.
What's the problem? Garbage in the United States can increase by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. In addition, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, food waste is the largest category of materials placed in municipal landfills.
Thanksgiving, costs (Photo: Alejandro Gonzalez)
Meanwhile, one in six Hoosiers and one in five Marion County residents are food insecurity – or lack of reliable access to a sufficient amount of affordable and reliable food. This compares with the national average of one in seven Americans.
Unfortunately, according to studies, throwing food has become second nature to many Americans with an affordable and abundant food supply. They do not even realize how much they throw.
"When we do not consider food to be valuable, it could be the pinnacle of narcissism," Carmel-based Food Rescue President John Williamson said.
The psychology behind the waste of America. We can change, however.
Jennifer McClellan / azcentral.com
These are consequences of food waste
Mixing this last cup of sauce or a few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes may not seem like a big deal. "But en masse, we have to produce more food, which would have a big impact on our natural resources, which are used to produce 40% of the uneaten food," said Williamson.
"It takes water and oil to produce food that we do not eat, carry food we do not eat, and process foods we do not eat."
And let's not forget that all this food waste occupies an important place in landfills and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide that traps the heat in our atmosphere.
Still need to convince? Consider the financial cost – for your household budget.
"While Thanksgiving is anecdotally one of the most useless days, as many people across the country are planning big vacation meals, it's a problem that costs the whole year." $ 1,800 per year to the average family of four, "Andrea, NRDC's specialist in sustainable food systems, said Andrea Spacht said.
It goes without saying that it is essential that Americans reduce their food waste. And Thanksgiving is a great place to start.
"We need to be more grateful," said Emily Jackson, director of the Indiana Scrap Recycling Coalition's waste scrap program, "and less waste."
Below is a list of tips and ideas to keep in mind on Thanksgiving Day and the days that follow.
Americans think that they waste less than their neighbors. (Photo: Cividins, Getty Images / iStockphoto)
What you can do to stop wasting food
Before you shop
Calculate portions: Think of what you have prepared too much for the last Thanksgiving and win less this year. Do not know how much food to make? Use the Guestimator, an easy-to-use online dinner calculator at savethefood.com/guestimator.
Plan storage in advance: Free up space in the freezer before Thanksgiving day and have enough storage containers and bags to make easy leftover wraps immediately after dinner. Find more storage tips at thanksgiving.com. Also empty your refrigerator the week before the holidays so that you do not have any food that is not part of Thanksgiving that is left out and forgotten.
Find some excellent remaining recipes: Discover Chef Regina Mehallick's turkey and waffles, a recipe that has been in the family of the R2GO owner for years. Find more leftover recipes at thanksgiving.com.
Discover the leftover kitchen cookbooks: "Scraps, Wilt + Weeds: Turning Wasted Food Into Abundance" from Mads Refslund is one of many new cookbooks devoted to eliminating food waste. Recipes include beet stalk salsa and banana ground coffee buns.
By day
Opt for the rustic look: So at this point, you have bought all your ingredients (fingers crossed, you have not forgotten anything) and you start cooking. Much of the food waste generated comes from leftovers: potato skins, carrot tops, and so on. Almost everything that is usually discarded is edible. So opt for the rustic look and do not peel your potatoes or carrots – though make sure to wash thoroughly – and do not cut the ends of the green beans.
With class: It is not necessarily a "food" council, but it is nevertheless important to limit waste to a minimum. With a lot of people coming in, it can be tempting to use paper plates and plastic silverware for easy cleaning – but resist the urge. Instead, use your usual plates or take advantage of it to bring out the right dish. If you feel particularly chic, you can also use cloth napkins that can easily be thrown away.
Top view of Thanksgiving dinner and family eating at the table (Photo: shironosov, Getty Images / iStockphoto)
Invite more people: Welcome small families and co-workers who are alone for the holidays. Hold a party with Thanksgiving remnants.
Your rhythm: When you fill your plate, the eyes can sometimes be bigger than the belly (guilty of the charge). But try taking smaller portions at the beginning. You can always come back for more, but once it's on your plate, you can not keep it for leftovers if you do not eat it.
Dog turkey: As the night draws to a close and everyone gets ready to go home, be sure to send your guests home with some leftovers. In this way, they can prepare this delicious sandwich themselves and not be stuck in a plush refrigerator. Better yet, ask your guests to bring their own take-away containers or make sure to take a few if you are going elsewhere.
Organize your leftovers: Research has shown that the more organized your remains are, the more likely you are to eat them. So when you put food in the refrigerator, put it in clear containers and label them and indicate when they should be eaten. Or you can try labels such as "eat first" and so on. Make sure they are visible and not pushed to the back.
And if you hire a caterer or go to the restaurant,Make sure the businesses you use or frequent are familiar with Second Aidings' relief program. The organization collects prepared and perishable food from wholesalers, retailers and restaurants to help fill the 4,000 plates that Second Helpings provides daily to those in need.
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"Scraps, Wilt + Weeds: Turning Wasted Food Into Abundance" from Mads Refslund is one of many new cookbooks devoted to eliminating food waste. Recipes include beet stalk salsa and banana ground coffee buns. (Photo: Liz Biro / IndyStar)
Post-Thanksgiving
Creative cuisine: It's your chance to be creative with these leftovers! But why not try a stuffing waffle or turn your turkey, gravy, vegetables and mashed potatoes into shepherd's pie? If you have not done any research in advance, there is many recipe ideas available via a quick search online. And if you have leftovers, these are an excellent base of broth.
This turkey enchiladas recipe loaded is one of the tastiest options! When we say "loaded", we hear stuffed cheese and turkey enchiladas generously arranged in a saucepan, then abundantly garnished with a succulent combination of corn, black beans and cheese. When these remaining turkey enchiladas come out of the oven, your family will rush to the table and fight for the first indulgent mouthful. (Photo: Thanksgiving.com)
Compost: If you do not compile in your own backyard, this may be a great time to start (an excellent resource for this is: Eartheasy.com). You can also consider a sidewalk collection plan with the Green With Indy compost. Purchase a 5 gallon (20 $) or 5 gallon (10 $ for 120) compostable bin and fill it with compostable waste, including food waste collected at the door for $ 5 (call 317-450-0951 or visit greenwithindy.com). Earth Mama offers a similar service for $ 10 per pickup and provides the 5-gallon bucket and liners (call 317-759-4589 or visit earthmamacompost.com).
Four wooden pallets make a good compost bin. (Photo: Dick Crum)
Give a surplus: If you have purchased too much food that you have never cooked, bring other canned and packaged foods to soup kitchens and pantries such as Second portion, Hunger Mission Inc., Gleaners and Wheeler. Some organizations will also take perishable goods, such as food and dairy products, that have been stored properly. Find a directory of places and times where you can donate using the line connect to help 211 or by searching on homelessshelterdirectory.org and feedindianashungry.org.
Call Sarah Bowman, journalist at IndyStar, at 317-444-6129 or by email at [email protected]. To follow her Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStar Environmental Journalists: Join The Scrub on Facebook.
Follow IndyStar's culinary editor, Liz Biro, on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro and on Facebook. Call her at 317-444-6264.
The IndyStar Environmental Reporting Project is made possible by the generous support of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, a non-profit organization.
Read or share this story: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2018/11/20/thanksgiving-leftovers-tips-avoid-food-waste/2015944002/
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