The 29th September 2022 is the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (#FLWDay), created by the Food Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The day was conceived to raise awareness of food waste, and how it continues to negatively impact our planet and people. Here at Cinders, we agree that too much food is wasted globally each and every day, and we must make a collective effort to be more sustainable!
Since 2014, the number of people affected by hunger has been on the rise, and yet we still waste a vast amount of food daily. We know that barbecuing for a large number of guests can be a stressful process, and it is very easy to discard ‘scraps’ of food in the bin. This year, it is estimated that 17% of total global food production is wasted, with 11% coming from households, 5% in the food service, and 2% in retail. As a chef, caterer, or someone who likes to host a BBQ at home, we encourage you to think about the food you’re disposing of and whether it is actually waste. In this blog post, we discuss the importance of reducing food waste, and tips on how you can change your habits when hosting a barbecue.
Why should we reduce the amount we waste?
Sometimes throwing food in the bin can be an automatic reaction, an impulse decision we make without thinking about the consequences, but this needs to change! The United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal (goal 12), on responsible consumption and production. This goal was set in place to urgently decrease food waste by 2030, due to the consumption and production of food products adversely affecting our planet.
When you throw away a piece of food, everything that went into the production of that item is also wasted, including water, energy, labour, capital, and land. The amount of food that ends up in landfills continues to grow, and it only contributes to greenhouse gases, which further leads to climate change.
How can our food systems be strong if we are not sustainable? Below, we have 10 tips on how you can reduce your waste.
Top tips on food reduction
1. Only buy what you need
As a chef or restaurant owner, we know that coming up with BBQ dishes is an exciting process and it can be easy to get carried away making an endless list of delicious recipes. However, to limit food waste, we suggest creating around 2 to 3 BBQ dishes to add to your menu, this way you won’t have an abundance of ingredients to be potentially wasted.
2. Store food correctly
As we mentioned in a previous blog post, storing food correctly is not only important for health and safety, but also for keeping food fresh. Meats especially should be stored in a cool environment, in airtight containers to stop bacteria growth and spoiling.
3. Cook up a tasty stock
Barbecue events involve all kinds of meats, from chicken to beef and pork. Unfortunately, this then leads to a lot of meat scraps that tend to be thrown away. To prevent this waste, utilise your meat scraps and cook up a delicious stock, broth, or gravy. You can even boil vegetable leftovers too, to make it even tastier!
4. Enjoy your leftovers
Don’t be tempted to throw your leftovers in the bin, simply refrigerate them and keep them for the following days! If you are hosting an event, you can also supply takeaway cartons for your guests – we are sure they would love to take some BBQ goodness home.
5. Use your freezer
Batch cooking meals and storing them in the freezer is a simple way of saving food. Although storing food in the fridge can make for a quick meal for the next few days, frozen food can last much longer! BBC good food have some excellent suggestions on how to freeze food.
6. Give bread a new life
Most bread tends to have a short shelf life, to remain as soft and fresh as possible. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of bread being wasted. To reduce the chances of your bread going stale, we suggest putting your bread in the freezer, whether that be a burger bun or hotdog bun, they can all be frozen!
7. Put food in the compost
Especially if you’re a caterer, chef, or someone who works in a large kitchen, you will more than likely have a large amount of food scraps. If you have decided they are completely inedible, it is important for you to compost them rather than throw them in a general waste bin.
8. Support local food suppliers
By purchasing local produce, you will not only be supporting farmers and small businesses, but you will help reduce food waste and fight pollution. With less distance to travel, food goods are less likely to become rotten or spoilt during transportation.
9. Make use of veggies!
When we think of barbecues, it is hard not to think of beautifully charred meat however, grilled vegetables can be incredibly delicious too. Vegetables can be chopped right down to their core, and most of them can be eaten with little to no waste.
10. Buy ugly fruit and veg
This might seem like an unusual food waste tip however, oddly-shaped fruits and vegetables are thrown away because they don’t look a certain way or meet cosmetic standards – even though they taste just as good. Fortunately, many supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, and more, are promoting sustainability by selling ‘wonky’ fruit and veg. In fact, in the space of 5 years, Tesco saved 44,000 tonnes of fruit and veg from going to waste! If you’re wanting to host a BBQ event, maybe check out your local supermarket.
So, that’s our top 10 tips on how you can reduce food waste when barbecuing. Our team at Cinders will be making a conscious effort to reduce food waste, and I hope we have encouraged you to do so too! If you would like to share the ways you have changed your habits, use #FLWDay to help raise awareness.
High-quality Barbecue Equipment
Here at Cinders, we encourage sustainable food practices and even more so when it comes to cooking up a barbecue. We manufacture some of the best barbecue equipment on the market, with high-quality commercial grills and accessories available on our website. If you’re not looking to make a purchase right now, we offer a local search for barbecue rental services, so you can hire one of our reliable grills for your BBQ event.