I recently worked at a supermarket produce department for three months, an endeavor I’ve dubbed “The Produce Project.” On the first day of work, I got right into the action by tossing more than 50 pounds of ”sell-by” date casualties and watching some computer training videos.  
My fourth day began with more culling. As I pulled out […]

How much does refrigerator size play into food waste? I hadn’t considered that question until reading this interesting discussion of the pros and cons of small refrigerators. In her post, “futurebird” explains how she chose a compact 8.8 cubic foot model.
Part of her rationale is that when we tend to fill our refrigerators, no matter the size. […]

Picking tree fruit is a tricky business. Timing is vital, as apples, pears, etc. must be picked before they’re ripe. If not, they won’t survive cross-country shipping and great quantities of fruit are wasted. 
Making matters worse, orchard owners have a hard time finding pickers. In addition to standing on 15-foot ladders while balancing 35-pound bags of fruit, harvesters […]

Today marks the second installment in this series of tips for avoiding waste. ”The Weekly Waste Word” will run every Monday, the day I usually do my grocery shopping.
This advice may be a bit basic, but it bears repeating: Don’t shop hungry.
“Don’t go hungry—you’ll buy everything, because it all looks good,” said Alicia Ross, a syndicated food […]

The media just loves the freegan story. And why wouldn’t they? The idea that people can subsist on what we throw away really intrigues people. This BBC article has some interesting U.K. data packed into one paragraph:
Each year 6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown out. Half is perfectly edible and in a lifetime its estimated […]

Hospital food waste is a seldom discussed issue. More than most venues, some hospital waste is unavoidable. Many patients can’t eat or don’t have an appetite, for good reason. But still, hospital room service and cafeterias create plenty of avoidable food loss.
To cut waste, some hospitals are using the ValuWaste program. The system, produced by Portland’s LeanPath, […]

Wasted Food reader Brian recently commented that making food waste awareness trendy would really reduce squandering. In my mind, trendy = celebrities. As I mentioned in my response to that comment, I’m picturing Brad and Angelina leaving a restaurant with doggy bags as photographers snap away.
Barring that miracle, who else would take up this issue? We could probably get Ed […]

A few blips from Nova Scotia crossed my desk last week. This article gave a behind-the-scenes look at fast food restaurants there. From reading it, I learned that the Canadian province has three distinct waste streams–trash, recyclables and organics.
Some restaurants may be scandalously combining the three, but at least it’s an exception to the rule. Way […]

Here’s a new feature on Wasted Food. Barring any breaking news, I’ll post a quick tip or fact about home food waste every Monday.
This fact confirmed what I’d long feared–as much as 30 percent of the egg white stays with the egg shell. While I came across this message on a hint sheet for restaurants, the […]

This piece provides a little culinary exploration into the origins of traditional African American foods and a bit of watermelon history. In it, there’s a nice nugget about thrift:
Nothing was ever wasted in the African American kitchen. Leftover fish became croquettes (by adding an egg, cornmeal or flour, seasonings and breaded then deep-fried). Stale bread became […]