The environment is key to everyone’s existence, but it is degrading every passing day. A few animal and plant species have already become extinct because of human activities. One of the best ways to play your role in saving the environment is by reducing food waste. Most people around the world have made a habit of wasting food by buying more than they can consume and letting fruits, vegetables, and fish go to waste.
While not as many advertisements and shows lobby for reducing food waste to save the environment, it is one of the most effective options. For instance, the oceans provide over 20% of the world’s food source, yet only about 10% of sea species are not overfished. The demand for fresh fish is rapidly on the rise but is already overwhelming the oceans.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), seafood production is expected to grow from 179 million tons in 2018 to 204 million tons in 2030. Fortunately, various organizations are stepping in to improve the sustainability of fisheries. With the surge of the circular economy in the food industry, creating value from seafood waste is one of the trendy ways of saving sea life.
Saving the environment is paramount for everyone, and you can play an active role in reducing food waste to protect our environment. Here are a few actions you can take.
Adopt Healthier and More Sustainable Diets
Life today has become fast-paced, and it can be a hassle to prepare a nutritious meal. Luckily for you, nutritious meals do not have to be intricate. Using the internet, you can quickly access thousands of healthy recipes that are easy to prepare alone, with your friends, or with family. Instead of having to snack on the usual, pull some wild salmon recipes out of a renowned seafood blog and prepare your family a quick yet tasty and healthy breakfast.
Buy Only What You Need
As mentioned earlier in the post, a lot more food than should end up in the trash. To help reduce the amount of food that goes to waste, avoid impulse buying. You can buy an extra blouse or t-shirt, but when buying fresh fish, stick to the quantity needed. This will not only help you reduce food waste but also save you money. Before your next trip to the market, create an accurate shopping list and avoid straying from it. Ordering online, like from WildAlaskanCompany, is also one of the best options nowadays as they guarantee the quality and freshness of the seafood products which means no unwanted items would go to waste. They also offer tips and guides to buying the freshest fish as well as proper handling and storage as you receive the products.
Do Not Throw Away Ugly Fruits and Vegetables
Most people have set an arbitrary cosmetic standard when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Judging food by its appearance and throwing away bruised fruits and oddly shaped vegetables has become a norm. However, the taste or quality of a fruit or vegetable does not depend on its shape: While the skin of your avocado may be bruised, it doesn’t mean the nutritious fruit is spoiled. They all taste the same. If you still do not want to consume the oddly shaped fruits and vegetables, you could use them to make nutritious blends, smoothies, desserts, and juices.
Keep Food from Going Bad
Fish, fruits, and vegetables are highly perishable. To ensure they do not go bad in your home, it is only wise to practice methodical food storage. Consider moving the older foods to the front of your fridge or cupboard and the newer ones to the back. Also, make sure that you store perishable products in airtight containers in your fridge to keep them fresh for longer. To make sure everyone helps reduce wastage, impress upon your friends and family the importance of closing packages after removing portions of food products from the fridge or cupboards.
Make Good Use of Your Leftovers
Most people toss out leftovers after every meal. However, to save the environment, it is best to freeze the remaining food for later consumption or use it as an ingredient in the next meal. It will surprise you to realize how tantalizing and nutritious some leftovers are when used as ingredients in a meal. For instance, instead of throwing away the leftovers of your dessert, you could use them in your wild salmon recipes. Consider donating the food that could go to waste instead of throwing it away.
Support Your Local Food Producers
With the ease brought by advancements in technology, it is easy to ignore the pollution caused by the long food deliveries made to your home. The next time you need a wild salmon delivery, check local stores before going for distant producers. By doing this, you help local small businesses and family farmers grow. More importantly, you reduce delivery distances for vehicles and help combat the pollution of your environment. While you can sometimes only access your favorite foods from distant producers in the state or country, it would be preferable to search for them locally first.
Don’t Take Your Deliveries in Single-Use Plastics
Non-reusable single-use plastics are responsible for the death of countless ocean creatures. To date, the tons of plastic dumped into our oceans each year endanger marine ecosystems. To minimize your footprint, it is critical that you remove single-use plastics such as plastic packages, straws, and water bottles. That might mean buying fresh fish on compostable packaging, and storing your water in reusable water bottles. Always choose the option that saves the environment; after all, it often doesn’t take that much!
Perhaps you did not know the significance of reducing food wastage in saving the environment. Wherever you are, always remember to play your role in safe-guarding nature and sustaining life. Whether it is reducing your carbon emissions or throwing plastic bottles in the recycle bin, feel proud of every effort you make and encourage others to do the same.
Destroying the environment can be catastrophic for us. We are already witnessing the consequences of environmental degradation. Creating value from sea food waste is among the trendiest ways to save sea life today. Sea food delivery companies and fishery management organizations around the globe advocate for the food waste reduction techniques outlined above. Play your part in saving the environment.
