Resources

Want to give your compost bin a break and do your wallet some good? Here are 10 ways you can save money and waste less. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3: plan, preserve, and use everything.

“It is said that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States! Luckily, everyone can do their part to address this calamity.”

Plan

1. Plan your meals for the week, take inventory of the fridge and pantry, and make a list before you go to the grocery store.

2. Reorganize the fridge regularly, putting what needs to be eaten in the next few days in plain view. Wash and chop fruits and vegetables ahead of time, as they are then more likely to be eaten.

3. Buy in bulk, so you can choose the right quantity and avoid excessive packaging. And beware of the cheaper large formats. Savings quickly disappear when you throw away half the package!

4. At the supermarket, look for fruits and vegetables that are damaged or very ripe, especially if they will be cooked or eaten the same day.

5. Obtain big savings by purchasing surplus or near-expiry food items. For help with this, download the Flashfood or FoodHero applications to your phone.

Preserve

6. Freeze! Almost everything freezes, even tofu! Chop and freeze tired vegetables for soup, wrinkled fruit for muffins. Freeze leftovers in ready-to-eat portions.

7. “Best before” does not mean “bad after”! It is an indication that some characteristics may be degraded, such as texture, but most foods will still be edible for weeks or even months. To learn more, download Meilleur avant, bon après? (Only in french), produced by Québec’s ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food.

8. Canning allows you to enjoy summer fruits and vegetables year-round by slowing down the natural decay process. And it’s less complicated than it sounds. The Internet is full of instructions and simple tips.

Use everything

9. Develop some “clear the fridge” menus: you can make pizzas, vegetable stir-fries, pasta sauces, soups, rice, couscous, main-dish salads and bowls with any vegetables you have on hand. And don’t forget that most ingredients in a recipe can be substituted without altering the result. Dare to try non-traditional combinations and make some tasty discoveries!

10. Some parts of vegetables, such as leaves, tops, peels, pods or flowers, are often thrown out even though they are edible. There are several recipes for cooking them into a delicious dish and further reducing waste. For example, they can be used to make nutritious soups and broths.

Avoiding food waste and reducing our meat consumption are the two actions that have the greatest impact on reducing the ecological footprint of our food. At the same time we’ll be reducing our grocery bill. What do you say, want to give it a try?

Online resources

• The lovefoodhatewaste.ca  website offers a wealth of information on how to extend the life of food, including a guide to preserving and an easy-to-use canning guide
• On the sauvetabouffe.org website, you will find different ways to use all parts of fruits and vegetables. (Only in french)
• Florence-Léa Siry, florenceleasiry.com, Quebec’s queen of zero food waste, has published several cookbooks, and her website  chicfrigosansfric.com provides plenty of resources. (Only in french)
• The glouton.app/en-ca/ website, a recipe directory connected to supermarket flyers, allows you to save money by planning your menus.