This week on Wednesday the 28th of April it is Stop Food Wastage Day.
As a company in the health tech and food industry Equalution is committed to backing the cause of reducing food waste for the benefit of our economy, environment and planet. Did you know food waste costs the Australian economy around $20 billion each year? Moreover each year we waste around 7.3 million tonnes of food equating to about 300kg per person or one in five bags of groceries!
Stop Food Waste Day is an international day of action in the fight against food waste. Despite combined efforts and more awareness a lot of food still ends up going to waste causing a chain reaction. When you throw edible food, you’re wasting not only wasting food and in turn money but you’re also contributing to more waste increasing your environmental footprint.
Want to reduce your food wastage? Check out our article on reducing food wastage here. We share easy tips like if you’re an Equalutioner you can request meals incorporating ingredients you wish to use, using left overs the following day, storing food accordingly, making a shopping list etc.
How can you reduce food wastage if you’re an Equalutioner?
1. Use the food diary
Use the food diary in the Equalution App to self select your own food choices and meet the daily targets we set. This will allow you to use foods of your choice and use up ingredients through pre planning.
2. Request in your meal plan
If you have ingredients leftover from your previous meal plan such as pasta, rice, wraps etc you can request similar meals that include these ingredients to ensure these are not going to waste. It’s also a great idea to request meals and snacks based on what’s on sale at the time such as protein bars, cereal, poultry or fish. Not only will this save you some money but will also reduce the likelihood of these foods ending up in landfill.
3. Use the shopping list feature
Did you know that you can copy the ingredients from your meal plan and add to the shopping list in your Equalution App? No more food wastage through buying food you don’t need, pre plan ahead of time and buy what you need!
4. Meal prep
Prep your meals ahead of time so you’re less inclined to waste food.
5. Use your freezer
Almost all foods can be frozen to extend shelf-life. All meat and seafood, both fresh and cooked, just make sure once defrosted to never refreeze freeze meal prepped meals, wraps, breads all that can be defrosted and used at a later date. You can also freeze fruits to be added to smoothies, or desserts. On average a good rule of thumb to follow is that food can be kept up until 6 months in the freezer, so be sure to label your food to know when to use by!
Your contribution big or small counts, remember too that this also means using your voice and spreading the word too. Awareness is the key and we all have a part to play in protecting and preserving our planet before it’s too late.