Practices to Prevent Food Waste

1-Practices to Reduce Food Waste at Home

A. Planned Shopping and Portion Control:

Shopping List and Menu Planning: To prevent food waste at home, weekly shopping lists can be created. By menu planning, it can be more clearly determined how much food should be taken.

Portion Control: Instead of over-preparing food, cooking food in appropriate quantities prevents waste. Making unnecessarily large quantities of food and then throwing it away is a common cause of waste.

Utilizing Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored properly and used at the next meal. Leftovers can be turned into salads, soup or sandwiches.

B. Storage Methods:

Correct Storage Techniques: Foods need to be stored under the right conditions to keep them fresh. Storing vegetables and fruits at the right humidity and temperature keeps them fresh for longer.

Organizing in the Refrigerator: Foods should be stored correctly in the refrigerator and the same types of products should be kept together. For example, meat and dairy products can be stored in separate areas to prevent spoilage.

C. Education and Awareness Raising:

Consumer Education: Families, especially children, can be educated about the impacts of food waste and how to prevent it. This can help prevent food waste in the future before it is passed down from generation to generation.

Recipe Creativity: Creative recipes can be offered to reuse leftover food. Delicious recipes made with leftovers reduce waste and save money.

2- Practices Developed to Reduce Food Waste in Society

A. Food Banks and Aid Organizations:

Food Donations: Restaurants, grocery stores and households can donate food products that are no longer needed but cannot be consumed to food banks. In this way, waste is prevented and food can reach those in need.

Local Food Assistance Programs: At the community level, local charities can be partnered with to reduce food waste. Food banks and similar organizations can collect and distribute surplus food.

B. Technological Solutions:

Food Waste Tracking Applications: Apps developed for smartphones allow tracking household food inventory and sending reminders about food expiration dates. These apps can significantly reduce food waste.

Some smartphone apps developed to prevent food waste can be quite useful, with functions such as tracking household food inventory and monitoring expiration dates. Such apps help users avoid unnecessary food purchases, utilize leftover food and use expired products in a timely manner. Here are some popular food waste tracking apps:

1. Too Good To Go

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features: A platform that sells food products that are no longer sold by restaurants and stores but can still be consumed. Users can buy food products that are nearing their expiration date and are no longer sold at discounted prices. It both prevents food waste and enables the purchase of fresh food at affordable prices. The app shows restaurants, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets in a specific location.

2. NoWaste

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features: Used to keep track of household food inventory. Users save household food in the app and enter expiration dates. The app sends reminders for upcoming expiration dates. It also aims to reduce waste by providing reuse recipes for leftover food. By knowing which products will expire and when, users can shop only for what they need.

3. Expiry Date

Platforms: iOS

Features: An app specifically designed to keep track of expiration dates of food products. The expiration dates of food products are saved and the app sends reminders as the dates approach. It guides users to consume their products on time to avoid food waste. The app helps users manage household food inventory.

4. Mealime

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features: Mealime helps you create personalized meal plans. Users can choose healthy recipes and create shopping lists based on these recipes. To reduce food waste, Mealime encourages buying only the required amount of ingredients. Furthermore, Mealime's planning feature allows users to identify the ingredients that are really needed based on household food stocks.

5. Fridgely

Platforms: iOS

Features:With this app, users can create a list of household food products and sort them according to their expiration dates. The app sends reminders for products approaching their due date. Users can find leftover food items with reuse suggestions and get recipes to help minimize food waste.

6. Yummly

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features:Yummly helps you create personal recipes and make daily meal plans. It allows you to create a food inventory and shows you which recipes can be made by identifying ingredients in the household. In this way, the food in the house can be used more efficiently and leftover food can be utilized and waste can be avoided. Yummly can also be used to create food shopping lists, avoiding unnecessary shopping.

7. BigOven

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features:BigOven is an app that offers recipes and meal plans. Users can search for recipes based on available food items in the household. It also offers reuse recipes on how to utilize leftovers.

BigOven's shopping list creation function helps you buy only the items you need, reducing food waste.

8. Tasty

Platforms: iOS, Android

Features:Tasty is a popular app that offers recipes. Users can search for recipes based on ingredients at home and prepare new dishes from leftover food. Tasty also provides a step-by-step guide to recipes, providing a user-friendly experience and helping to reduce food waste.

9. Smart Recipes

Platforms: Android

Features:By recording household food inventories, users can suggest new dishes from leftover food. The app provides a variety of healthy recipes, ensuring efficient use of leftover ingredients.