Folks often ask me how they can avoid food waste at home. After I joke that they can stop buying brussels sprouts, I suggest they serve less food on each plate. (See The Weekly Waste Word category for more tips.) 
That way, there’s a better chance diners won’t leave behind uneaten food, much of which isn’t saved. You can always […]

Food journalist extraordinaire Samuel Fromartz tells us that Las Vegas consumes more shrimp than the rest of the U.S. combined! That must be a sizable number, given Red Lobster’s inclinations.
The Vegas tally: a not-so-shrimpy 60,000 pounds per day, or the weight of about three male Asian elephants. I wonder what percent of the shrimp is […]

There’s some saying about necessity…mother of all invention, or something. Well this weekend the need to use up some mushrooms gave birth to a new idea in my house–takeout pizza, homemade toppings.
I baked the mushrooms in my handy toaster oven to emulate the pizza parlor’s handiwork and they were ready by the time the pie […]

Mandatory food waste recycling in San Francisco? It has been voluntary for a few years (using green bins like this minature on the right), but if Mayor Gavin Newsom’s plan is accepted, separation of household food scraps will be required. Seattle has already committed to that course of action by 2009.
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Here are some useful […]

There’s much discussion of rising food prices, but what does that really look like? Here’s a closeup. (Zoom in on the top portion.)
Like usual, the story is a bit more complicated than it may appear. As we see in the illustration, the cost of food is increasing in many, but not all categories. The prices […]

In food-waste-to-energy news: If the state of California processed all of its 5.9 million tons of food waste by anaerobic digestion, it would produce enough energy to power 75 percent of the Bay Area. This according to an East Bay Municipal Utility District study.
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Staying in California, The California bill to allow hotel or catering […]

Yesterday, I enjoyed the “Recession Diet” story in The NY Times describing how many Americans are skimping to battle rising food costs. Among other things, folks are buying more store-brand groceries and eating out less.
On the latter point, this should lead to less food waste, as it’s easier to control portion size and leftovers at […]

It’s Earth Day–stop reading this and go outside!
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Welcome back. Or perhaps you never left…Anyway, for your persistence, here are some tips to help you help our planet by cutting food waste:
You can ‘green your refrigerator,’ making it more energy efficient and reducing food waste.
You can feed your family for less.
You can compost at home.
You can […]

Oops.

Even I forget about food every once in a while, discovering items after they’ve sprouted tentacles and started torturing the neighborhood.
I’m disappointed about wasting my basket of potatoes, but also a tiny bit proud of how scary these spuds have become. The one on the right almost looks like a brain.
Normally, when I see potatoes […]

Food prices are on the rise domestically (especially for pizza) and even more so in the developing world. While that may prompt home budget adjusting for some, it causes others to go hungry and/or take to the streets.
This weekend in Haiti, unrest caused by inflation brought violence and death. The Prime Minister (but not the President) […]