Food waste not only hurts your pockets but is extremely harmful to the environment. But there are measures you can take to minimize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Why Do Students Waste Food?<\/li>
- 17+ Tips To Reduce Food Waste as a Student<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Why Do Students Waste Food?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Throwing away food costs your students pockets around 6.9 USD per week<\/a>. That\u2019s 358 USD per year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most commonly wasted foods for students are leftover meals, fresh vegetables and fruit, bread, and chips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And some of the main reasons students throw food away are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Trying something new and you don\u2019t like it<\/li>
- Cooking portions that are too big<\/li>
- Throwing away leftovers<\/li>
- Food expires before you get to cook it<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s normal. You\u2019re probably used to home-cooked meals and your family taking care of all of the leftovers. Now that you\u2019ve moved out on your own, you sometimes don\u2019t have access to a kitchen and have a limited budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might not even know how to cook or when to eat. In the next section, we\u2019ll offer some tips to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
17+ Tips to Reduce Student Food Waste<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You might feel lost, but you can quickly get control of your food. You just need a bit more knowledge on how to store food effectively, how to use leftovers, and how to control your food choices and reduce your student food waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 – Store and organize your food <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Putting food in a place that isn\u2019t visible makes you forget you even have it. So make sure everything in your fridge or pantry is organized and visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you get new groceries, bring all the old things in front and put all the newly purchased items in the back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This way, you\u2019ll be more likely to eat food that expires sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#2 – Seal food properly <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Did you open a pack of chicken breasts and only used one or two?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, the rest of the chicken starts smelling pretty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why sealing your food is super important. Wrap unused chicken, fish, or steak and secure it with food clips. Alternatively, you can put it in containers or Tupperware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#3 – Prepare portion sizes correctly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Before you start cooking, get a feeling of how many people will be eating. You\u2019ll be tempted to make excess food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re overcooking, you increase the likelihood that you\u2019ll waste your food. You might then be tempted to throw the excess food away or dispose of the next-day leftovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#4 – Switch up breakfast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can substitute your bowl of cereal or eggs with some of the leftovers from the previous day. Or, you can put it in a Tupperware and take it with you for lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You do not end up throwing your leftovers. You also save cooking time, lunch money, and some of your breakfast food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#5 – Cook with leftovers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Got a bunch of cooked veggies or leftover rice? Throw them together in a pan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can cook awesome meals with your leftover food. Anything from paella<\/a> with a twist to a leftover-food omelet<\/a>, to fried rice<\/a> works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s plenty of room to be creative!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#6 – Freeze bread<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You got a huge loaf of fresh bread that you can\u2019t eat before it goes bad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just throw it in the freezer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then take it out and throw it in the oven or let it defrost when you decide to have it. After reheating, the bread tastes as fresh as the first day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
#7 – Buy more frozen foods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s nice to support local farmers and to eat fresh foods. But if you end up throwing away most of your vegetables or fruits because you didn\u2019t get to eat that in time\u2026.then it\u2019s time to rethink your strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frozen food is cheaper and offers more variety. You can get several bean types and various vegetables in one pack. And they take years to go bad!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#8 – Don\u2019t buy food in bulk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Some foods, like potatoes and carrots, don\u2019t expire. So it\u2019s okay if you buy them in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you buy 1 KG of chicken and don\u2019t freeze it, things can turn sour fast. To save your fresh food from expiring, just buy less of it at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#9 – Check your fridge temperature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your fridge temperature should be below 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit)<\/a>. And your freezer should not exceed -18 degrees Celcius (0 degrees Fahrenheit). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get a simple fridge thermometer to monitor these thresholds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shelves in the fridge also vary in their temperatures. Store different types of food on separate shelves<\/a> to make sure they don\u2019t expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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#10 – Understand expiration dates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are many ways the store, the factory, or the distribution facility put in the expiration date in the food packaging. However, there are three main wordings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \u201cBest before\u201d means that the food won\u2019t be harmful if you consume it after the shown date. But it\u2019s best to consume it before the expiration date for the best taste and quality. Be careful with eggs, because they can develop salmonella if a long time passes.<\/li>
- \u201cExp.\u201d means that the food will expire after the given date. However, sometimes, food might be okay to cook with even if expired. Go for the \u201clook, smell, taste\u201d test. Only throw away food if it looks and smells expired.<\/li>
- \u201cDisplay until\u201d or \u201cDisp\u201d is an indicator for grocery store clerks. Don\u2019t pay much attention to it.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Understanding what these expiration dates mean can help you prioritize when you eat food. So, if at some point your choice is between food that expires tomorrow and food that is best before tomorrow, go for the first one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#11 – Take home restaurant leftovers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s nothing wrong with asking your waiter to pack up your leftovers in a container and take it home. The food is yours once it\u2019s prepared!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The restaurant avoids food waste and you get an extra meal or side dish from food that you\u2019ve already paid for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#12 – Donate food you don\u2019t want anymore<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You might have a bunch of cans and other foods sitting around the house. They haven\u2019t expired yet. And you\u2019re probably tempted to throw them away since you don\u2019t plan on eating them anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering donating them instead. There should be food banks in your area or local organizations that give the food to the less fortunate. Food isn\u2019t wasted but instead given to someone who needs it. There are 135 million of these people throughout the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#13 – Plan your meals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of the week, create a diary with all the meals you plan to eat that week. Write down a shopping list for all those meals and only buy those ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meal planning makes it easier for you to know what and how you\u2019re eating and eliminates stress and time spent on thinking and cooking. It also ensures that you\u2019re not buying food that you won\u2019t use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#14 – Eat less meat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Meat is extremely harmful to the environment. Each kilogram of beef, for example, produces 17 kg of CO2<\/a>. Eating more plant-based foods is a sure way to reduce your carbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#15 – Find recipes online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are thousands of online recipe websites out there that you can use for inspiration. And some are easy and fast to make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online recipes also show all ingredients, which adds variety to your meal and gives you inspiration for your shopping list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#16 – Use food waste applications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are mobile apps out there that make planning and cooking meals super easy. Total Ctrl Home<\/a> is probably the most convenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The app allows you to get alerts before food expires and create shopping lists. It also gives you recipe recommendations based on the food you have at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#17 – Spread the word<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Inform your friends and family about all the negative effects of food waste<\/a>. Share posts and updates on your social media, so that everyone can participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more people know about how unnecessary and avoidable food waste is, the closer we are to our sustainable development goal of halving the world\u2019s food waste<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrapping Up Student Food Waste<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We discussed many tips on this article about how to reduce student food waste. However, you don\u2019t have to dive into all of them at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start with small changes, like eating leftovers, downloading TotalCtrl Home, and organizing your fridge. Then work your way through meal planning and educating others about the threat of wasted food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By working together to change our habits, we can all make an impact towards a waste-free world.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine going to the grocery store, buying three shopping bags with food, then dropping one of them on the way, and not going back for it. Crazy, right? Well, that\u2019s exactly how much food we are wasting daily. Food waste costs the world about 750 billion USD per year. And young people (age 18-34) waste … <\/p>\n