Join us in cutting food waste
This Food Waste Action Week the statistics on food waste continue to be staggering despite some 71 per cent of Australians being motivated to reduce their own food waste.
For example, one third of all the world’s food is still wasted. That’s enough to feed 1.26 billion people every year!
FareShare evolved more than 20 years ago by saving food that would otherwise go to waste and transforming it into free, nutritious meals for people in need. Since then, we’ve kept a lot of surplus food out of landfill, rescuing more than one million kilograms last year alone.
We also try to ensure nothing goes to waste in our kitchens. Our food scraps, such as vegetable peel and eggshells, are either composted or sent to animal sanctuaries and other places where they can be eaten or repurposed.
The llamas at Peachy’s Paradise animal sanctuary and cattle on a farm in Toorbul, Queensland, (pictured below) are happy beneficiaries of our vegetable scraps.
To help you extend the life of ingredients at home and save time, money and the planet, here are a few simple tips…
No one likes finding soggy herbs in the bottom of their fridge. Sadly, herbs have a limited shelf life but the freezer is your friend.
Wash the herb leaves and pat them dry. Spread them out on a baking tray so they’re not touching. Place the tray in the freezer for 20 minutes or until frozen. Then transfer them into a freezer bag.
Another clever method is to freeze your herbs in ice cube trays with olive oil. This is ideal if you plan to use them for cooking or in a salad dressing. Simply wash, dry and chop your herbs, pack them into ice cube trays, cover with olive oil and freeze. If you wish, you can pop them out of the moulds and into a container or bag once frozen.
It’s never pleasant biting into a soggy biscuit. If this happens try placing under a grill for a few minutes. The same goes for nuts, cereals, crackers, chips, and other ready-to-eat dried goods.
Chances are you’re already onto this, but the fact remains that so much produce is thrown out before it reaches the store for failing to comply to cosmetic expectations.
You can reverse this by supporting initiatives like ‘I’m Perfect’ and ‘The Odd Bunch’ at the supermarket, and by purchasing misshapen food from other places.
When we choose to buy imperfect food, such as this eggplant that one of our volunteers found during a shift (pictured, left), we send a strong signal to the market.
If you’re a Victorian or Queensland wholesaler, farmer, retailer, manufacturer, importer or distribution centre, another effective way to reduce your food waste is to donate your surplus food to us to cook into nutritious meals.
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