What to do to avoid wasting food

Here's a ten-point anti-food waste guide, made up of simple, easy-to-do, and very useful actions.

• Responsible spending.  Before going to the supermarket, or any grocery store, or even the greengrocer, check which items are out of stock and avoid taking advantage of special offers if you're worried you won't be able to consume the products you purchased, especially fresh ones like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, before they expire. In any case, try not to go shopping when you're very hungry.
• La shopping list, written down and not just memorized, must be your compass when you shop for any kind of food.
• Avoid buying single-serving portions: they are always too abundant, and with this they transform, at least partially, into a certain waste.
• Strategic use of the refrigeratorOne of the main factors in food waste is food expiration. In this regard, in addition to shopping wisely, it's also essential to use some trick to remember which foods are approaching their expiration date. A good method is to place them in the middle of the refrigerator, where people first look.
• Vacuum packing to combat wasteIf you just can't resist compulsive shopping at the supermarket, tempted by the myriad offers, use a technique that will help you avoid unnecessary waste: vacuum packing. To take advantage of this technique, you can take advantage of the services now offered by many supermarkets, or you can set up your own machine and conveniently keep it at home.
• Wise use of the freezerAnother very useful trick is to freeze fresh food or leftovers before they spoil, packaging them in small quantities.
• Pay attention to the expiration dateNot all foods go bad in the days following their expiration date. For some foods, in fact, the 24/48-hour delay has only a minimal impact on the quality of the product, so don't rush to throw them in the bin. Furthermore, many foods are labeled "to be consumed preferably by", which has nothing to do with the expiration date. In these cases, once the indicated limit has passed, the food doesn't go bad but simply loses some of its freshness, so throwing it away is truly unacceptable waste.
• Ugly but goodDon't throw away overripe or bruised food; it can be used to make desserts, smoothies, or soups.
• Leftovers KitchenAnother huge source of waste is leftovers. To keep them from ending up in the trash, try new recipes by reusing them. And if you need some advice, check out our section. “The leftovers kitchen”.
• Composting. If you really can't save food from expiry, transform leftovers into food for our garden through the composting.

How not to waste the most used foods

Every food has its own particular origins, in terms of waste. These are the four most used and the ways in which, for each of them, the devastation of waste can be avoided.

• Fruit. There are three main mistakes we can make: buying too much, discarding it just because it shows signs of over-ripening, or storing it poorly (avoiding hot areas).
• SaladsA few more stains? Wilted leaves? A color that's turning yellow in some places? And then, bang, the salad ends up in the garbage can. And maybe it's still delicious.
• VegetablesThere's no food more suitable for cooking than leftovers. Or rather, for reusing them. Leftover vegetables can be used in a variety of dishes, from vegetable broth to casseroles.
• BreadEven stale bread is an ideal ingredient for making cakes, breadcrumbs (for use in other dishes), and croutons. It's anything but trash, as bakeries unfortunately do at the end of the day.

The most wasted foods in the world

Food waste worldwide has reached the figure of 1.555 million tons per yearThis is the ranking of the most wasted foods:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Cereals
• Roots and tubers
• Milk and derivatives
• Meat
• Oilseeds and legumes
• Fish

Read also:

• Siticibo Citizen Food Network: the project for recovering surplus food
• Equovento, the volunteers who recover food wasted at weddings and events.
  
• The magic of football to fight waste, eliminate distances and overcome difficulties