October 16th is celebrated as World Food Day all around the globe as an initiative to spread awareness on how to reduce food waste. This year the world faces multiple challenges including the ongoing pandemic, inflation, political conflicts and climate change. While as an individual you can not control many of these factors, here is what you can do!

Food wastage begins at home, school, and in small communities like restaurants, cafes etc. Reducing food wastage at every level is equally important. Every act makes a difference which gives hope for a better future for our future generation. In this article, learn about how to reduce food waste in the home, at school, and on the go.

Buy Responsibly

One of the simplest ways to avoid food waste as a consumer is to buy less. A packed fridge may look appealing, but it may lead to food waste if the household cannot eat all of the food.

Taking a couple of shorter trips to the grocery store each week rather than one longer trip may prevent people from buying too much food and help cut back on waste.

When to Throw?

Mould is definitely a bad sign, and at this point, food is not consumable But if your vegetables or fruits are slightly wilt, they can make great soup or fruit relish!

“Best before” dates can be misleading — if produce still appears fresh and usable, it is usually fine to eat it.

Follow FIFO

“FIFO” stands for “first in, first out” and is a useful way to organize food at home. Many restaurants and grocery stores use this system to reduce waste, too.

Placing newly bought foods at the back of the cupboard or fridge will encourage people to use the food in the front row first, which will ensure freshness and reduce waste.

Store food correctly

Perishable items, such as fruits and vegetables, each have their best way to store to avoid spoilage.

Some tips include:

• keeping the refrigerator below 5°C (41°F)
• storing cooked foods on shelves above raw foods
• storing food in sealed containers
• Always transfer leftovers from open cans into a suitable container. Do not store it in the can.

Consume Leftovers

As part of a meal plan to reduce waste, many people choose 1 or 2 days each week to eat any leftovers they may have stored in the fridge or freezer.

This helps reduce waste from individual meals and keeps the fridge tidy.

There are many more ways by which you can contribute to reducing food wastage such as preservation of food or freezing food etc. Bottom line is that over 20 crore people go hungry to bed every day in India, hence food wastage is an evil that we need to eradicate!