How to minimize food wastage

Food waste is a problem that doesn’t seem like a huge problem but it is actually bigger than you’ll ever know. Food wastage is probably next in line after the climate crisis. From each of our homes it wouldn’t seem like much but is too much.

Here are a few tips and tricks to minimize food waste in your kitchen.

1. Plan your meals. This is important because it will help you to ration your ingredients in terms of what you need to buy and what is already available at home. It will also help to portion out the quantity required to cook one meal without leftovers
2. Make sure to buy ingredients that you know you are going to use within a few days of buying them. It is normal for us as humans to go to a shop and suddenly find something interesting there. In most cases that interesting product would not be a part of your daily routine which results in it rotting at the back of your fridge or in the storage cupboard because of pushing it for another day. 
3. When you buy produce, research where to store these foods in your home to make sure that they don’t ripen and spoil too quickly. Some fruits and vegetables are better stored at room temperature, and some are better stored in the refrigerator. Additionally, read the labels of food and follow any suggested storing instructions.
   
   
4. Try to finish the leftovers. A lot of us like to eat different for every meal. But prioritise the leftovers in your fridge or kitchen and finish them during the next meal.Donot cook anything extra if there are leftovers except of when the leftover item needs a certain accompaniment.

5. There’s a term called FIFO, which means “First in First out”. It stands for what it says. Whatever you buy first, use that. For example, you buy a different type of coffee powder but you already have half a bottle of coffee powder you bought the previous time. Finish that half bottle first. Same case with fruits, vegetables, masalas, condiments and spices etc.