Category Archives: Supermarket

Friday Buffet

Tesco released a major report yesterday called What Matters Now: Using Our Scale For Good. One of the three ambitions was to lead in reducing food waste globally. The massive, UK-based retailer plans to use its industry standing to prompt suppliers and manufacturers to reduce food waste, while helping consumers do the same. For more […]

May 24, 2013 | Also posted in Composting, Restaurant, School | Comments closed

That’s Bananas…

I spend a lot of time in supermarkets, and I’ve never seen this… …until this weekend. No idea what is going on here, but it was a pretty clean cut straight through that banana.

May 20, 2013 | Posted in Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Much of the D.C. deer population have completed a quick journey from USDA sharpshooters scopes to soup kitchen plates. D.C. Central Kitchen recently received 600 pounds of ground venison from the National Park Service’s (necessary/unnecessary?) deer cull in Rock Creek Park. — — If supermarkets aren’t going to dramatically reduce their waste, the least they can do […]

May 17, 2013 | Also posted in Energy, International | Comments closed

Monday Buffet

Wasted food = wasted water. This handy Ecocentric blog post reminds us of that truth. — — Mixed news from Massachusetts: The DEP confirmed its upcoming 2014 commercial food waste ban and pushed for a 30 percent waste reduction by 2020 (Hooray!). But it also announced that they would remove the moratorium on building new […]

May 13, 2013 | Also posted in International, School, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Sensing Freshness

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 […]

March 18, 2013 | Also posted in Food Safety, Technology | Comments closed

Oddities: Orange Italy

As you might guess, I’m a fan of odd-shaped produce. I’m drawn to ugly fruits and veggies that have more character than perfection. I like to give them a home, because too often they end up being wasted. Besides, it’s taste, not appearance, that matters most. I usually end up with these items at the farmers’ market […]

March 11, 2013 | Also posted in Alphabet Produce, Household | Comments closed

Want Something Wonky?

This week we learned that more than 80 percent of Britons are willing to buy produce of imperfect shape or color. At least that’s what they said when asked that in a poll conducted by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Note–they weren’t asked about fruits and vegetables with blemishes or bruises, but just the so-called “ugly” fruits […]

February 28, 2013 | Also posted in International | Comments closed

Getting Grocery Rite

This week, while at the Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco, I learned more about what the largest supermarket chains and food manufacturers are doing to reduce food waste through the FMI/GMA Food Waste Reduction Alliance. As you can see from this page and their slides (download), the initiative is encouraging and ongoing. On the other […]

January 25, 2013 | Also posted in Composting, Repurposing | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Since food prices are set to increase in 2013, it’s the perfect time to cut waste to keep your food costs steady. The Globe and Mail concurs. Meanwhile, that article contains the astounding fact that “Canadian households waste 38 per cent of their food purchased in store and restaurants.” Whoa. — — This Pittsburgh Post-Gazette […]

January 4, 2013 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Household, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Food is too cheap, according to the head of Unilever, which prompts much waste in the developed world. Yes, but…there are still so many who don’t get enough to eat. Meanwhile, in that same article, we learn that Londoners waste half the food they buy. — — Not to be outdone, the entire country of […]

November 9, 2012 | Also posted in College, International | Comments closed