Monthly Archives: September 2007

Senior Gleaning

Greetings from sunny California! I’ve seen so much food recovery in the last 48 hours that I’m under the impression there’s no food waste in the Golden State. I know I sure didn’t waste anything I ordered at In-N-Out Burger. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of volunteering with Senior Gleaners, Inc., of Sacramento. I went […]

September 13, 2007 | Posted in General | Comments closed

On the Road

As a (relatively) young man, I’m following that storied piece of advice by going West. I’ll be in California for the rest of the week doing wasted food research. There, I’ll meet the Davis scientist who developed the anaerobic digester that produces electricity from food waste. I’ll also get to see that digester up close. In addition, I’ll tour Salinas […]

September 11, 2007 | Posted in General | Comments closed

The Weekly Waste Word: hot dog buns

Specialty breads are the most frequently wasted baked goods. We’re talking about hamburger and hot dog buns, mostly. When planning a barbecue, it’s hard to know how many packages to buy and, often, we get too many for fear of running out. Then you don’t cook all the meat or people aren’t eating carbs, etc. For a variety of reasons, […]

September 10, 2007 | Posted in Household, Personal, The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed

Friday Buffet: Asian Edition

This article in India’s The Hindu ponders which is a better use for food waste: composting or energy creation. Before reading, I would have said energy creation. Now, I’m not so sure. I don’t know about you, but I think this is a polite way of saying the West wastes some high quality food:   The […]

September 7, 2007 | Posted in Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Skin-deep Waste II

Yesterday we talked about how the desire for flawless produce leads to much waste. Pushing the issue further, who’s to blame for this desire? While Wayne Roberts’ article impugned food magazines, I’d also blame most supermarkets, especially Whole Foods. Most retailers make a point of having bountiful, beautiful displays. Doing so means throwing out imperfect, nonuniform produce. […]

September 6, 2007 | Posted in History and Culture, Supermarket | Comments closed

Skin-deep Waste

Wayne Roberts, a Toronto journalist and occasional farmer has written a fascinating article in the current issue of Canadian publication NOW on how glossy magazines instill a desire for perfect looking produce. This causes unrealistic expecatations, and ultimately, waste. …most of the food we toss, perhaps one-fifth of the harvest, is wasted simply because it disappoints visual […]

September 5, 2007 | Posted in Food Recovery, History and Culture, Supermarket | Comments closed

The Weekly Waste Word: Restaurant Portions

At the beginning of each week, I try to give readers one tip on how to avoid food waste. This week’s advice: If you don’t like eating leftovers, don’t order an appetizer and an entrée.  Take a look at the nutritional information from Chili’s or the Macaroni Grill. Feel like some pasta and meatballs? Here’s 2,400 calories, […]

September 4, 2007 | Posted in Restaurant, The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed