March is Nutrition Month in Canada. This year we focused on food waste reduction in the Bow Valley. Edible food waste costs each Canadian household an average of $1300/year and makes up one-third to half of all waste in the Bow Valley. While Banff and Canmore both have food waste recycling programs, there is still an incredible volume of what would have been edible food that is thrown out.
Food waste reduction is a great way to reduce your impact on the local environment, save money in your household and support better meal planning which can contribute to a healthier diet with fewer temptations and impulsive eating.
For March 2023, we turned to our community to find out how you are reducing your food waste and received many excellent tips. See below for highlights to help you reduce food waste in your household.
Planning/Shopping:
- meal plan for grocery shopping, consider portion sizes in your planning to cook an appropriate amount of food
- before shopping, do a recipe search listing ingredients you have on hand to find a great recipe that will use up those ingredients – then buy additional ingredients to complete these recipes
- offer food you won’t use to friends and neighbours
- schedule cooking several meals at once and freeze extra portions for later use
- plan one day a week to have a ‘leftovers’ day & use up what you have on hand
Fruit & Veggies:
- freeze wilted veggies and scraps (onion skins, carrot tops, wilted spinach) and boil in water once you have a freezer bag full to create a nutrient-rich veggie soup stock to use immediate or freeze for later
- soak wilted leafy veggies & herbs in water to hydrate and bring them back
- freeze veggies before they go bad
- buy veggies in season, in bulk to freeze or pickle for future use
- freeze fruit that is on the verge and/or remove rotted portions for use in smoothies and baking
Bread, Eggs & Meat:
- freeze bread ends for bread pudding, mac & cheese or turkey stuffing
- cook extra meat or eggs for use in a sandwich the next day
Find out more about food waste reduction.
