5 Tips to Food-Waste-Free Holidays

Published on : 12/16/19

    • The holidays tend to be a time of indulgence - especially when it comes to food. But they are also a time of thinking about others, so it makes sense to create traditions that are thoughtful about food waste.

    It’s estimated that roughly one-third of the food produced for human consumption gets wasted -- a staggering problem when factoring in the environmental impact and the communities that struggle with hunger. Addressing it is considered one of the most important ways to confront climate change. 

    At Sodexo, reducing food waste is a top priority and the company has implemented wide-scale reduction efforts. (See our video on Waste Watch powered by LeanPath below.)

    With the help of the National Resource Defense Council we came up with tips to translate the approach to individual homes this year.

    reduce food waste

    1. Plan Ahead. For your party or feast, try to get an exact headcount of guests and coordinate dishes based on that, remembering that a variety of dishes will mean less food is needed overall. To help in your efforts, use a food guestimator calculator.

    2. Use What You Have. Take a look in your refrigerator or pantry to see what ingredients you already have before heading to the store. Sometimes, forgotten ingredients can even inspire dish ideas.

    3. Rethink "Waste." Instead of throwing away food that we think of as disposable, get creative. Stale bread and vegetable scraps, for instance, have value beyond the compost pile. Stale bread makes great croutons and vegetable scraps can be turned into nutritious, flavorful soup stock or crispy chips.

    4. Allow Guests to Serve Themselves. Instead of scooping out huge portions of dishes, let guests gauge their hunger levels and serve themselves the amount they want to eat.

    5. Gift and Re-Gift. As you’re packing up after the meal, store food for later and also offer some to guests (in reusable containers, of course). If you still end up with too much, offer leftovers to local food banks -- a present that will be much appreciated.

    Learn more about Sodexo’s commitments to sustainability

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