New View of Food - A Valuable Resource

The current situation of grocery hoarding and food shortage has me reflecting on the way I think about food waste. Before the COVID-19 issue, I would get annoyed when I had to throw away spoiled food - produce that had gone unused, half a bag of molded hamburger buns, unused leftovers and countless other small but still wasted items. I am a meal planner, so I do very little impulse buying when it comes to food. I have what I need in my pantry and fridge according to my meal plans.  But as plans changed, I never consciously thought how I would make sure the food items I shopped for would be saved and put to other uses.  I never made sure I used the whole stalk of celery or prepped and froze it before it went bad, because ,Yep, I could buy another-  Now we are in a different situation. - I can’t tolerate ANY waste. 

I took stock of my freezer and my pantry and know that with creative meals, no food waste and adding what we can, we will be fine. As I look at my cupboards, where yes, a half bag of hamburger buns is sitting. I am going to be toasting those buns as cinnamon toast for breakfast, making cheese sandwiches for the kids and if there are any left, I will freeze them.  There will be no wasted hamburger buns or any other food in the coming weeks if I can help it. The kids will not be making whole pots of pasta just to throw away half of it. Both kids have been taken to the grocery stores so they can see first hand that our food is now a very limited resource.

This new view of food has made me realize how fortunate I was to grow up in a time where food waste is common, unlike those just a generation or two before me. It is such an important resource and as the COVID-19 issue has shown us, it is very important that we use our resources wisely. I am hoping the food and home goods hoarding will soon stabilize and come to an end. I am hoping my new attitude toward food waste does not. 

Sending good thoughts to all.

Tara