On average, Dutch people throw away 33.4 kilos of food per year. That is of course a shame, because the production of all that food puts a strain on the climate. Moreover, it is a waste of money: throwing away uneaten food costs an average Dutch household about 400 euros per year.
Combating waste is a relatively easy way to contribute to a better world. “8 to 10 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted worldwide are linked to food that we do not eat,” says Toine Timmermans of the Samen Tegen Voedings Waste foundation.
Old bread
People at home are responsible for 30 to 35 percent of food waste, he says. “That can be significantly reduced. We have come down from 50 kilos years ago, but it can certainly still be reduced.”
According to Timmermans, many people are aware that they should not waste food. Sometimes it is mainly a matter of doing it. “Bread is wasted the most. 92 percent of Dutch people want to waste less bread,” he says. “We also know what to do: eat sandwiches and make sandwiches from old bread. But actually doing it, people can be helped even better.”
Refrigerator
A spearhead of the nutrition center’s campaign that starts today is storing food in the refrigerator and freezer. “People don’t yet know where to store fresh produce,” says Timmermans. “For example, it is best to keep a cucumber out of the refrigerator, but an apple is better to keep it cold.”
The Nutrition Center has so-called ‘yes-no stickers’ that you can stick on your refrigerator. These can help you remember what belongs in the refrigerator and what doesn’t. For example, tomatoes are best stored outside the refrigerator, unlike eggs.
According to Timmermans, it helps to start young. “If children learn how things should be done at school, they will also start the conversation at home,” he says. “We have embraced the goal of halving waste by 2030. The Netherlands has a pioneering role, we are doing something good in that, but it is important to also put good intentions into practice.”
Tips against waste
To prevent waste, the nutrition center gives a number of tips:
Set your refrigerator to 4 degrees. At 4 degrees, bacteria grow less quickly and your food stays fresh longer. Place cooled products (back) in the refrigerator as quickly as possible. Bacteria do grow outside the refrigerator. If food has been left out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, it is better not to eat it anymore. Judge for yourself whether a product is still good. If food has a best before date, you can estimate whether you can still eat something after that date, for example by looking and smelling it. This also applies to fruit and vegetables that do not have a date on them. Throw away products with an expired expiration date. If a product has a use-by date on it and that date has passed, throw the product away.
2023-09-11 07:05:33
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