Monthly Archives: March 2012

Friday Buffet

Big news from NYT’s Green Blog: An international report from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change addresses food waste as one of its seven recommendations: Reduce loss and waste in food systems, targeting infrastructure, farming practices, processing, distribution and household habit — — Every so often I see reports on food waste-to-energy installations like […]

March 30, 2012 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Beautiful Decay

Rotting food still lifes, anyone? For those so inclined, Austrian photographer Klaus Pichler has created that very thing with his latest project, One Third. The one third refers to the amount of food worldwide that isn’t consumed, according to the FAO.  Pichler decided to point attention to the global issue of food waste by showing food […]

March 28, 2012 | Posted in Food Safety, International | Comments closed

Bi Into This Challenge

With Earth Day fast approaching, the good people at Bi-Rite Market have issued a challenge. A Food Waste Challenge. Here’s how it works: Leave a comment on the Bi-Rite blog post on the food that you or your community often wastes. Then, the San Fran retailer will identify foods that are often wasted. Bi-Rite will […]

March 26, 2012 | Posted in Household, Supermarket | Comments closed

UNusual Week

I just spent three days at the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, where I met people from all corners of the globe and talked trash (or food waste) with them. I was at FAO to collaborate with researchers in an ongoing project to create a global food waste footprint. As you might […]

March 23, 2012 | Posted in Energy, Environment, Personal | Comments closed

Public Service Announcement

Just a quick reminder, folks: You can trim the mold off cheese! I highly recommend it, especially for a variety as delicious as Dill Havarti.

March 19, 2012 | Posted in Food Safety, Household, Personal | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

While the UK leads the way in waste reduction, they lag in food recovery. A certain Member of Parliament is out to change that. Kerry McCarthy hopes to introduce legislation requiring supermarkets to donate surplus food, rewarding other businesses for donating food and establishing a US-style Good Samaritan Act. And it being 2012, here’s the text of […]

March 16, 2012 | Posted in Friday Buffet, International, Personal, Supermarket | Comments closed

You’ve Been Slimed!

I’ve got slime on the mind. Not that old Nickelodeon show slime or the green ectoplasm stuff from Ghostbusters, but pink slime. The meat industry, in their zeal to be as efficient as possible, are now selling Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings, or BLBT, in supermarkets as ground beef. Apparently, this Play-Doh-like substance is in 70% […]

March 13, 2012 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Don’t forget to enter the drawing for the new book White Bread by commenting here on your favorite use for stale bread. — — Good on ya, mate! Some green-minded Kiwis are pushing their city to ban food waste from the waste stream. — — Denver has a new composting facility. Always a good thing. […]

March 9, 2012 | Posted in Composting, Personal, Restaurant, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Guest Post: In Defense of Stale Bread

Aaron Bobrow-Strain is the author of White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf (Beacon Press, 2012). His writings have also appeared in Gastronomica and The Believer. Here is his impassioned ode to stale bread: — In July 1913, The New York Times announced a Dutch invention—“exceedingly complex and scientific”—that would keep bread fresh […]

March 8, 2012 | Posted in Guest Posts, Household | Comments closed

Baltimore Bound

Today, I’m headed to Baltimore to give a talk at the Enoch Pratt Free Library (7pm). I’m excited for the chance to spread the word on food waste. If you find yourself near Charm City and looking to hear all about it, come on down! Thanks to the United Way of Central Maryland, Wesleyan University […]

March 5, 2012 | Posted in Personal | Comments closed