{Nourish} The Food Waste Epidemic + Call to Action + Do Your Part Recipe Round-Up

“If we want to change the world we have to be ready to change ourselves” -Maria Damanaki

I feel fortunate that I was recently invited to the “Sustainable Food Institute” which is symposium on sustainability hosted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  One topics that really resonated with me was the issue of food waste and we can do our parts to alleviate this epidemic problem!

Food waste is a huge problem! Estimates show that nearly 30-40% of the food produced in the United States is wasted each year. This is a startling statistic when you consider over 49 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 33.3 million adults and 15.8 million children. There is also a significant impact on the environment to consider as the majority of food waste, reported to be 33.5 million tons annually, ends up in landfills where it rots and produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.

Even more appalling is the fact the almost 50% of food waste is produced by US, the consumer. Ugh. After hearing these statistics I took some time to reflect on my own habits and how I could start to be more mindful of my role in this epic problem. 

I recently wrote a piece for US News Eat + Run offering tips and tools to help the consumer decrease food waste and you can read that here.

Using leftovers, food scraps and “past its prime” produce are a few of the topics I discussed. With that in mind I enlisted the help of my RD friends to create a round-up of recipes that utilize these techniques! I think they will inspire you and make your taste buds happy!

Considering the importance of this topic, I urge you to share through your social media channels as change starts with each one of us! 

Reduce Food Waste Recipe Round-up

Nourish.Breathe.Thrive. : Freezer Fried Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Pullman: Quinoa Salad for One

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abby Langer: Rice Bowls with Chicken and Salsa Fresca 

The Lean Green Bean Blog: Salmon Burgers + Ways to Use Leftovers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jessa Nowak: Walnut Pesto Chicken Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judy Barbe: Peanut Sesame Noodles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deanna Rose Segrave-Daly: Carrot Top Basil Pesto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karmen Meyer: Butternut Squash & Fajita Veggie Frittata 

 

Healther Goesch Nutrition: Nut Flour made Nut Milk Residue