The best-before date has passed, the banana already has so many brown spots and yesterday's spaghetti doesn't look really fresh anymore: so it can go in the trash. Or?
In Germany we throw away around 11 million tons of food - that's how much 2,200 adult male elephants weigh. Over half of them (59 percent) are produced in private households. Other causes include trade, processing, catering and agriculture.
Food Waste: Numbers, Facts, and Consequences
Food waste also includes banana peels or cheese rinds, which would have ended up in the trash anyway and are therefore unavoidable. When we talk about food waste, we are talking about edible food that could still have been eaten. In Germany, every consumer creates almost 80 kilograms of food waste - in one year.
Not only are we literally throwing our money into the trash, but this behavior is also polluting our environment. The food we buy and throw away uses a large amount of valuable resources to produce: land, water and energy. On top of that are transport routes and packaging. Hello, emissions! Food waste therefore accounts for four percent of Germany’s total annual emissions.
Estimates suggest that food waste produces almost half a tonne of greenhouse gases per capita per year - roughly as much as a flight from Berlin to Ibiza (approx. 501 kg CO2, calculated with atmosfair.de). The waste of animal products creates a particularly large number of emissions.
What are we throwing away?
The majority of food thrown away is made up of the following:
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Around a third of avoidable food waste comes from fresh fruit and vegetables
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Bread and baked goods make up around 13 percent
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Drinks 9 %
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Dairy products 9 %
Our responsibility as a company
We try very hard to create as little food waste as possible. If possible, our production leftovers are given to agriculture or the food bank. After each production, we are in close contact with the manufacturer and analyze how much wastage there was and how we can optimize. Our logistics partner also donates products to food sharing projects or the food bank. Despite all efforts, there are unfortunately situations in which goods have to be disposed of.
9 Tips Against Food Waste
The good news is that we can take an active role in combating food waste – and start doing so now. Here are nine tips.
1. Plan meals & shop in moderation
At the beginning of the week, ask yourself what meals you want to prepare throughout the week. You don't have to plan the entire week straight away - it's enough if you make a rough plan for the next three days. Then think: What else do I have here? And what do I have to buy?
2. Write shopping list
We make most purchasing decisions impulsively. It is therefore smart to make a list of the things that are missing from the fridge. This not only helps with organization, but also against food waste. For any food that goes beyond the list, ask yourself whether you really need it or not. Extra tip: Don't shop hungry.
3. Buy regional & seasonal food
Regional foods often have a longer shelf life because they have not been transported long distances. This not only helps prevent waste, but also saves CO2 emissions.
Additionally, when you shop in season, you support the consumption of food that is now in large quantities and needs to be sold.
4. Store food properly
With proper storage, food stays fresh for much longer and we can reduce food waste. The general rule is: When putting away, make sure to put the new food at the back and pull older food to the front.
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Spreads, sauces and leftovers are best stored at the top of the fridge; dairy products feel best in the middle.
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Transfer dry and long-lasting foods (e.g. flour, pasta, oatmeal) into airtight glass containers and store them in the pantry. It is best to store perishable items such as meat at the bottom of the glass plate. Drinks, eggs, margarine and pickles are best stored in the refrigerator door. Salads and root vegetables stay fresh in the vegetable compartment.
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Not all vegetables belong in the fridge! These include tomatoes, zucchini and peppers.
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Remove plastic packaging from vegetables and fruit.
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Pour leftover food into clear glass containers and store it at the front of the fridge - this way it won't be forgotten.
Freeze it baby
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Freeze bread and baked goods that you won't eat right away. At the next opportunity you can simply bake the products.
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Leftover vegetables are also great for freezing: simply clean the vegetables, blanch them and then freeze them. An ideal way to pimp up your next vegetable curry or create a delicious soup when you don't know what to cook.
5. Creatively utilize leftovers
Old bread is boring and can no longer be used? Not true. Get creative and try making a delicious bread pudding out of brown bread . Cooked rice can also be used to create a new, delicious meal in no time: for example, healthy cinnamon waffles with apple sauce. You can also easily use very ripe bananas for baking.
Do you have half a broccoli, some soy yogurt and tofu left and are wondering how the hell you're going to turn it into a delicious meal? Then let yourself be inspired! There are now many apps that make it easy to put together leftovers. For example, the apps “Beste-Leftover” or “Too good for the bin”: Simply enter up to three foods that you still have at home and the apps provide delicious recipe suggestions.
6. shop unpackaged
Do you want to bake a poppy seed cake, but baking powder, poppy seeds and sliced almonds are only available in large packages? Let's be honest: How often do we buy food that we only need a small amount of and then no longer use?
Unpackaged stores are ideal for buying smaller portions and only the quantities that we need. The concept is also perfect for trying some foods, such as special types of lentils, before treating yourself to the 500g pack.
7. Save Fruits & Vegetables
Imperfect fruits and vegetables with dents or unusual shapes usually sit in the supermarket until they have to be thrown away. Declare war on ideals of beauty when it comes to fruit and vegetables: Even imperfect fruit and vegetables taste good and are worth buying.
8. Give away meals and groceries
You've been eating the lasagne you've cooked for two days now and it still feels like the entire baking dish is full? Give away leftovers to neighbors, colleagues or friends. Or even better: invite them over and use up your leftovers together.
And who doesn't know it: In the office kitchen, free snacks go away faster than you can say food waste.
Food can also be dropped off and picked up via the foodsharing.de platform.
9. do not insist on the expiration date
Many foods have a much longer shelf life than stated on the packaging. This particularly includes dry foods and canned goods.
But the same applies to fresh food: it says “best before” and not “deadly from”. Trust your own senses and check the taste and appearance of the product before blindly throwing it into the bin.
The best apps and services to combat food waste
Gone are the days when you could go to the backyards of the supermarkets at night and now you can easily save them from your smartphone.
| Surname | Offer | Price |
| Too Good to Go | This is how to save food: Restaurants, cafés and supermarkets place surplus food in the app as a surprise bag. Users can choose a restaurant or café, pay in advance via the app and then pick up their surprise package. Also vegan offers. |
App: free Offer: surprise bags from around 2 euros |
| ResQ Club | Easily buy delicious take-away meals from restaurants, cafes and grocery stores with the ResQ Club app. You will receive between 40 and 70% discount on the original price. So far only widespread in Scandinavia. |
App: free Offer: from approx. 2 Euro |
| Too good for the bin | Eat deliciously and use up leftovers at the same time. The app suggests users suitable recipes for their leftover ingredients. For everyone who loves cooking and is looking for inspiration. | for free |
| foodsharing.de | Together against the throwaway culture. Private individuals and businesses can use the platform to drop off or pick up food. An interactive map shows where the food baskets and donations are available. More than 200,000 members are now registered. | for free |
| Etepetete | Save vegetables! At Etepetete you regularly receive boxes full of freshly harvested organic fruit and vegetables that do not meet the usual beauty ideals. Included: recipe ideas. |
Classic box (approx. 5 kg) from 21.95 Euro Choose between 9 different boxes, e.g. family, vegetables, fruit, raw food or snack |
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