More than 100 New York City restaurants–including ones owned by Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and Danny Meyer–have pledged to cut their waste in half. One thing conspicuously absent in the writeup was any kind of timeline. Still, great news! — — The GRACE Communications Foundation (the folks behind The Meatrix) just launched a new site on food waste, and [...]
A recent L.A. Times piece on the legality of restaurant donations made me wonder a bit about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act–you know, that 1996 federal shield law that protects donors from liability when they donate food that they deem to be in good shape. In the article, Shirley Wei Sher, a [...]
Can “electronic sensor circuits” reduce food waste by judging food freshness (through measuring acidity levels) more accurately than expiration dates? Yes. But… -But that’s not saying much, as expiration dates aren’t all that accurate. -But so could your own sensors–of smell, sight and taste. -But these food sensors are currently too expensive for mainstream adoption. -But, the [...]
Texas company MicroZap has found a way to redefine bread’s shelf life by keeping it mold-free for 60 days. This isn’t done by using a freezer or all-powerful preservatives, but rather by sending bread through a “sophisticated microwave array” resembling an assembly line. While this solution feels a bit…unnatural, it’s similar to pasteurization of milk (which [...]
There’s a difference between waste and loss. But no matter what we call it, East Coasters have discarded a whole lot of food in the last week as a result of Sandy. There’s the in-home loss caused by not having power or a back-up generator. Restaurants also experience the that problem, but one Manhattan eatery [...]
I promise I don’t hate technology. I’m not writing this on parchment paper in a cave. But when I read about this scannable, edible patch, I wasn’t thrilled. A Tufts professor has created a patch made from gold (Gold?! ) and plastic (yum!) that your smarty talky gizmo smartphone reads to note how much bacteria [...]
ABC News weighs in with 5 Worst Food Storage Mistakes. While I don’t love the subtle tone of paranoia (4 days for leftovers?!) there’s some decent advice there. — — Cal Baptist seems to be awash in food waste reduction. There’s nothing revolutionary going on, but a refreshing commitment to minimizing waste. — — German [...]
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 [...]
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.
After watching this video love letter to offal, you might say today’s culinary system is missing an entire stream of animal protein. Or you might say, ‘Gross!’ What say you? (Oh, and don’t miss the ending.)
