Читать книгу Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies - Rosanne Rust - Страница 17

Zero waste cooking can save you money, improve your diet quality, and help the environment. You could say it’s a win-win-win! You may be reading this book because you want to do your part to support a healthy planet, or maybe you want to waste less and save money, but you may not be aware that a zero waste approach may also indirectly improve your health. How? Well, there’s money savings in taking a little bit of time to work on your grocery shopping strategy and use of leftovers. And when you become more mindful of food storage, meal planning, and using up fresh fruits and vegetables, you actually end up increasing your consumption of those nutrient-rich foods. Read on, dear reader.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that, in 2018, 63 million tons of food were wasted, with 40 percent of that coming from households like yours and mine. Check out apps such as Too Good To Go that help connect people in need with surplus food supplies that they can purchase at deeply discounted rates.

Wasting food isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a social issue, too. It’s estimated that about 10 percent of U.S. households are food insecure at some time during the year. And hunger and undernourishment throughout the world continue to be a major concern.

Feeding America is an organization that works to reduce food waste and hunger by matching excess food from national food and grocery manufacturers, retailers, government agencies, shippers, packers and growers, and other organizations, with the food banks that need it most. Many agricultural organizations donate milk, meat, and eggs to local food banks and community organizations as well. To get involved, check with your local food bank or go to www.feedingamerica.org/take-action.