Today I am excited to share with you how meal planning changed my life for the better. Not only does it remove the burden of having to figure out what to cook every day, but it also reduces food waste at home and lowers your food bill significantly! In this episode, I talk about the issue of food waste and how it negatively impacts the environment. I will share the products, energy, and resources that are wasted when food is discarded at any level of the supply chain. I provide plenty of helpful tips for reducing food waste at the grocery store and in your home, showing you how your consumer choices can make difference to your life and the environment! Meal planning is a great way of taking care of yourself, your family, and the ecosystem – join me to find out how. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear how meal planning makes life easier and reduces stress in our busy lives. 
• Eye-opening statistics about the amount of edible food that is wasted each year. 
• The difference between food loss and food waste and how the latter occurs at different levels of the supply chain.
• The environmental damage caused by producing food that gets wasted and put in landfills.  
• Consider the water, labor, fertilizers, and pesticides, that go to waste when food is not used. 
• I explain the benefits of planning and making shopping lists before going to the grocery store. 
• Utilizing your left-overs and understanding portion sizes to cook just enough for your needs. 
• Suggestions for portioning, freezing, and labeling big batches of food and using it effectively. 
• What dates such as “best before”, “use by”, “sell by”, and “display until” really mean. 
• How we can determine whether food has spoilt and help to reduce waste at the grocery store. 
• The importance of using and planning your meals around the groceries that you already have.
• Advice for minimizing your trips to the grocery store and always having something to cook.
• Cooking simple meals by having a portion of protein, carbohydrates, and fresh veggies. 
• Using the quickly perishing products first and the system that takes care of every lunch!

Key Messages: 

1.  Food waste is a pressing issue: one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, putting a lot of strain on our ecosystem. 
2.  The majority of food waste in high-income countries is due to consumer choices. 
3.  Meal planning is a great way to reduce stress and food waste in your home.  

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Kristina Hunter Flourishing

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Food loss)

Government of Canada (Date labeling on pre-packaged foods)

Love Food Hate Waste

The Unexpected Gift Box