20 million bread loaves wasted
What do potatoes, apples, poultry, bananas, lettuce, oranges, pumpkin, carrots have in common?
According to a new waste minimisation campaign the foods, along with humble leftovers, are the edible items Kiwi’s most commonly waste.
The number one culprit, making up 10 per cent of wasted food, is bread with 20 million loaves thrown away in New Zealand each year.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign says the average Kiwi household sends the equivalent of three shopping trolleys, about 79kg, of edible food to the landfill every year.
For some families it’s about $560 worth of food going to waste.
Or to put it another way, we throw away enough food to feed 262,917 people or 4.5 times the population of Porirua for a year.
The campaign is being run by 60 councils across the country and aims to help New Zealanders reduce the amount of food they waste.
Porirua City Council is kicking things off with cooking demonstrations at North City these school holidays.
The demonstrations will provide easy and tasty examples of what people can cook at home with the top ten commonly wasted ingredients.
Dai Phonevilay and Dal Philavong from Taste Lao are two of the cooks laying waste to waste.
Philavong said they would be showing every day people how to cook simple food.
‘‘If we can help people save money in any way that’s a good thing.’’
Her household was pretty good at limiting the amount of food they threw out.
‘‘My dad has just started making smoothies and he’s using up all the fruit in the fruit bowl,’’ she said.
‘‘My mum’s a cook and she uses everything.’’
Carrots were probably the most common waste offenders in her house.
Phonevilay said bread was the most binned item at her home.
‘‘I’ve got three kids so there’s usually some bread somewhere being wasted.’’
Zero Waste co-ordinator Dee Jones said it was not just the edible food that was being wasted when it was thrown out.
‘‘It’s the power and energy to produce that food that isn’t used.
‘‘Waste management, compost and recycling are at the end of the
Food demonstrations
Held at North City Shopping Centre.
July 28, 7pm, Henry Smith and Mayor Nick Leggett
July 29, noon, Whitireia Hospitality students
July 30 and 31, noon, Dai and Dal from Taste Lao and My Kitchen Rules. cycle of waste, but this campaign is at the front.’’