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Not so fun fact: In the United States, it’s estimated that 24% of all food produced, or 54 million tons, goes to waste each year. And although there's loss all along the chain, much of the food entering the waste stream comes from our home kitchens. Yikes!
A-dae Romero-Briones, Director of Programs at First Nations Development Institute, shared at the 2022 Food Waste Solutions Summit, that any system that includes food that goes to waste is a failed system. Food is precious - it represents energy from the soil and the sun, energy from the hands that plant and pick it and process it, energy from the resources used to grow it and distribute it. Wasted food has implications for Americans who experience food insecurity and has dire effects on the climate and natural resources.
But rather than fall deeper into “climate doomerism”, let’s try and look at it as an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen, play in a garden, and connect with community.
The East Bay (and SF) are abundant with opportunities to make actionable steps towards reducing food waste. You could learn about composting at your local community garden or get educated on California’s State Bill 1383. You could find inspiration on how to upcycle or transform food ‘scraps’ at Shuggie's Pizza or from a Preserved preservation class. You could also support the deep justice work being done by social enterprise kitchens like Cocina de Corazón and Food Shift that not only focus on cooking or redistributing recovered food, but tackling the social and financial inequities in our communities.
So the next time you have something sadly wilting in your produce drawer or you’re blessed with a crate of zucchini from a neighbor’s garden, take a moment to research ways to use it up before you toss it. From veggie broth to quick breads to Green Goddess soup, you’re covered!
Here’s to eating well and doing the good work,
The Slow Food East Bay team
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