Four practical tips to reduce food waste! 🥐

Experts have warned of the dangers of food waste and its impact on the environment, as rotting food is a source of methane gas (one of the gases causing global warming).

In this regard, a team of scientists in Japan revealed 4 tips to reduce food waste:

1. Arrange food according to expiry date in the refrigerator

Kohei Watanabe and Tomoko Okayama, waste management scientists at Teikyo University, Tokyo, suggest placing items and food items closest to expiration on the top shelf of the refrigerator. So, when we open the refrigerator, we should automatically select something from the top, to eat the food closest to its expiration date.

At the same time, fresh items should be stored at the bottom, although this system requires spending more time constantly moving items to the top, as they approach expiration.

2. Transparent containers

Scientists advise storing all the contents of the refrigerator in transparent containers, because this always reminds us of what we should eat every time we open the refrigerator door.

“Often, the reason behind food spoilage and wastage is because you forgot it in the refrigerator, only to find it spoiled later,” Watanabe said. Transparent containers also help to quickly identify what needs to be moved to the top shelf, taking into account food items that do not spoil very quickly.

3. Apology and remorse

There is a Japanese word that refers to the feeling of remorse when it comes to wasting resources and food: “Mottainai.”

Based on this concept, scientists suggest apologizing for our food before throwing it away. By pretending that our food has feelings, we may be less inclined to waste it.

4. Colorful food sorting stickers

Colored labels can help prioritize which foods in the refrigerator we should direct our attention to first. For example, red labels are used to indicate food that needs to be eaten quickly, while green labels are for foods with a longer shelf life.

Scientists pointed to other factors that lead to food waste, including poor meal planning and the tendency to cook new meals every day, instead of eating leftovers, in addition to buying food that we do not really need.

Source: Daily Mail