Can you believe 7.6 tonnes of food is wasted each year in Australia, that’s an average of 312kg per person. To add, 70% of our food waste is still edible, yet The Foodbank Hunger Report 2021 revealed 1 in 6 Australian adults haven’t had enough to eat in the last year with an additional 1.2 million children going hungry during the same period.
It is estimated each Australian household throws $2000-$2,500 worth of food in the garbage bin each year. So, as the cost of living is increasing, it is more important than ever to reduce food waste and utilise the produce you’re spending your money on.
Here’s some tips and simple change you can make to reduce food waste at home:
1. Did you know broccoli stems are edible!
Chop broccoli stems and use them in stir fries, soups, stews or even chop them fine and put it in your salad for some extra crunch.
2. Ways to use your abundance of herbs
When buying herbs, you don’t always need the entire bunch. To be able to use the herbs throughout the next few weeks, blend them with a small amount of water or oil and freeze in ice cube trays. The ice cubes can then easily be added to dishes as you need them, without having to waste any of the herbs. Using your leftover herbs to make a delicious herby pesto is another option to reduce herb waste
Herby pesto (recipe)
Olive oil
Herbs
Garlic
Salt
Parmesan (Nutritional yeast for a dairy free alternative)
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- Blend all the ingredients in a blender or use a mortar and pestle, add more oil or water to achieve the desired consistency
- Use your pesto to spice up soups, dips, pasta or even in your mashed potatoes!
3. Veggie scraps
Place all veggie scraps into a bag in the freezer to use to make a vegetable broth or to add to a bone broth. You can create an tasty veggie broth at no extra by cost by using the scraps you would usually have thrown in the garbage.
Plus, Carrot tops, beetroot tops, and any other root vegetable leaves can be added to the pesto recipe.
4. Bones
Bones can be kept for making chicken or beef bone broth. Bone broth can be simmered on the stove for 12 hours or cooked in a pressure cooker for as little as 1 hour. Add your leftover bones to a pot along with lemon or apple cider vinegar, herbs, onion and 8 cups of water. Any herbs, spices and vegetables can be added to the stock depending on the flavour you’d like to achieve. Plus, frozen veggie scraps and herbs can also be added to the bone broth.
5. Dinner leftovers?
Freeze meal sized portions of leftovers saves you time & money! Plus, nothing goes to waste, and you have a healthy nutritious home cooked meal versus grabbing take-out.
6. Have a habit of buying more than you need?
Bulk food stores like The Source Bulk Foods are a good option when you only need a small amount of a product for a recipe. This way you can buy the exact amount that you need, and reduce leftovers of products that you don’t use often.
Stick to our tips and simple life changes to help make an impact on your environment, at home and in your community.
Food Bank, Hunger in Australia
Food Waste and Hunger Facts | OzHarvest. (2022).
