Monthly Archives: August 2009

Time’s Up

From Japan comes the neat idea of meat labels that go dark when the food becomes unsafe, preventing bar code scanning. Fresh Labels work by detecting levels of ammonia in the meat, preventing stores from tampering with expiration dates, a recent problem in Japan. I love the idea, since it focuses on when the food […]

August 31, 2009 | Posted in Food Safety, International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s a look inside the food-waste-to-energy plant in Oakland. Hey Bay Area folks, keep your oyster shells, rags and rocks out of the compost! — — Using watermelon cast-offs to make fuel? Seriously? I thought watermelon was about 99% water? And which have more energy–original or seedless? Of course, it’d be great if we weren’t […]

August 28, 2009 | Posted in Farm, Food Recovery, Food Safety, Friday Buffet, Household, Supermarket, Technology | Comments closed

S.Y.S. (Save Yer Scraps)

Today, I spoke with chef Liza Shaw of San Francisco’s A16. The Italian restaurant has a bit of a reputation for its Meatball Mondays, where they serve the uber-popular dish made from scraps and trimmings. A16 mostly uses prosciutto scraps saved throughout the week. No wonder they’re so good!  I realized meatloaf, sausages and soups were good uses for […]

August 26, 2009 | Posted in Repurposing, Restaurant | Comments closed

That Last Plate

OK, let’s talk about the Never Ending Pasta Bowl at Olive Garden. First of all, shouldn’t it be the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl? Second, is it possible to stop thinking about The NeverEnding Story while you’re eating? Because I’m having a hard time doing so now (Atreyuuuu!). Sorry. Anyway, I just saw a Tweet from a frustrated Pasta […]

August 24, 2009 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Semantics update: Don’t call it waste! After all, you wouldn’t throw away a resource, would you? — — Inmate gleaning?! Sure beats breaking rocks. Besides, how many license plates do states really need? — — Here’s a study assessing the environmental impact of five different scenarios for handling food waste. It turns out that a garbage disposal is […]

August 21, 2009 | Posted in College, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Nature’s Gleaners

Are we anteaters or woodpeckers? That’s the question implied in this thought-provoking post from Beyond Bread. (Trust me, it makes sense upon reading.) After making a distinction between those two animals, the piece delves into a discussion of the noble practice of farmer’s market food rescue. Recovering unsold produce at the end of a market just makes so […]

August 19, 2009 | Posted in Farmers' Market, Food Recovery | Comments closed

Iftar’s Leftovers…Save Them

It’s about that time of year again. No, not back to school–not quite yet. Ramadan. While the Muslim holy month doesn’t begin until Friday, the pre-holiday anti-waste press is ramping up. In Turkey, an anti-waste group warned that the nation’s troubling food waste levels (3.5 million loaves wasted/day!) rise during Ramadan. The Turkish Foundation for Waste Reduction […]

August 17, 2009 | Posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed

(Less) Evil Empire

I guess the Yankees aren’t all bad. There’s a neat article in today’s Times tracing the path of donated concession food from Yankee Stadium to those in need in the surrounding neighborhoods. Rock and Wrap it Up facilitates this donation of unsold event food and many others. I spent a pleasant summer evening talking with founder […]

August 15, 2009 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Less waste through technology: When farmer’s market orders are made in advance online, growers only pick what they know will go to use.  — — The EPA food waste calculator–out sometime in September, I think–will let businesses calculate how diverting food from their waste stream will save them dough. (Hat tip to Lean Path.) — — […]

August 13, 2009 | Posted in Composting, Farm, Farmers' Market, Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

BOGOF to Bug Off?

Bye bye, ‘buy-one-get-one-free?’ This beloved sales scheme is under threat in the UK, where it’s called BOGOF. The British government is working on its first food policy since WWII rationing ended and released a preliminary assessment on Monday. In the food policy, the government will call on retailers to abolish the tempting retail policy blamed for […]

August 12, 2009 | Posted in International, Supermarket | Comments closed