There was a time when the Eiffel Tower had people kissing under it, Venice had boats rowing down the canals, and people were roaming at malls and hanging out at the cafes. But far away, a man ate an infected bat, which led to the coronavirus pandemic that took the world by storm. Be it the southern areas of northern, eastern, or western; every country was infected with this pandemic.
Evolution of COVID And Its Impact On Packaging Companies
Every business and industry were impacted, while the economies were collapsing. Be it the best packaging companies or their custom boxes; the sales were collapsing and changing. The queries about how to make boxes and custom jewelry boxes were increasing because people were into DIYs and crafts. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that top packaging companies 2020 were impacted by COVID-19.
But how can we forget about the food businesses and the catastrophe that implied the grocery stories when the pandemic hit. That’s to say because people were hoarding on food, leaving the shelves empty because everyone was collecting the supplies for uncertain times. It is pretty clear that COVID-19 is the crisis for humankind, and people are considering how they can save food during this time.
As for Europe, the meal takeaway services have seen a considerable increase in their business because people were called into self-isolation, and meal takeaways were the only joy left for quarantined people who didn’t want to come in contact with anyone. This notion has been named the cooking fatigue because people wanted to eat lazily rather than cooking their own meals from the bottom.
It is pretty clear that this is a shift, and it has hit the majority of people out there. With this being said, people are buying increased food supplies every week to ensure they always have full pantries. But the point is that a huge amount of food is wasting out because people aren’t clear how to store the food properly, and also, they don’t take into account the expiry dates.
According to the research conducted by the environmental charity of the United Kingdom, around 45% (which is almost half) participants are worried about food as compared to what they worried before the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the cooking and shopping habits and patterns, 90% of the participants believe that their patterns have changed drastically ever since the imposition of lockdown.
However, more than half of the people are now focused and concise about planning their meals. Even more, 41% of these people prefer to gobble down the leftovers because they don’t want to waste food. For the entire world, the lockdown has brought different experiences and challenges. That’s to say because some people are sharpening their cooking things.
On the other hand, some people are still juggling their work routines, and with everyone at home, some people are cooking three times more food as compared to what they used to. That’s the prime reason that we have designed this article so that you can learn multiple hacks to save food in crisis to ensure it lasts longer and reduces wastage.
As per the statement passed by the European Commission, the annual food wastage count is around 88 million, and it imposes the monetary costs of 143 billion euros. However, the patterns and percentages are collapsing during this pandemic. It is evident that wasting food is an economic and ethical issue, but it is reducing the availability of natural resources in the environment.
According to the lecturer at the University of Leeds, he was asked how to limit the discarded food because he has enough knowledge of food sustainability and food networks. According to him, there is no proper rule of thumb about reducing the food wastage at home because every household has different limitations and needs.
The topping point is that there is no individual responsibility when it comes down to take on the responsibility of reducing waste. After all, it can lead to systematic issues because people start blaming the roles. Also, there needs to be an elimination of stigma and patriation from people because be it cooking or eating; they are important in terms of social practicing and cultural norms.
It is also important that you focus on meal planning because you don’t have to use the entire cheese of the block in one plate of pasta because it can be used to fill up the pizza crust some other time. The times are challenging during the pandemic and lockdown. It is suggested that you use this free time as an opportunity to learn new skills, become creative and experimental.
That’s to say because you can learn how to substitute different ingredients to ensure you use the ones that are already in the pantry and fridge. You don’t need to stick to the recipes either because there is something known as improvisation. Also, you need to ensure the proper discarding and disposing of unsalvageable food into the bin.
This is important because you can use the food scraps to add nutrients to your plants. We are saying this because food scraps still have nutrients in them, promising better health of your plants. Anyhow, if you aren’t sure how to reduce the food wastage and save food, we have shaped up this article. So, are you ready to take on the following tips? We think that you are!
1) Freezing
When there are sales and cheap fruits and vegetables around, it is the right time to get some extra supplies, surely. However, if you don’t know how to store the fruits and vegetables properly, freezing them is the right way to go. That’s to say because fruits can be frozen to ensure you can make fruit bread, smoothies, muffins, and fruit/vegetable-based dishes around the year.
The fruits that can be frozen include passion fruit, berries, stone fruit, mango, kiwi fruit, bananas, tomatoes, chopped celery, and peas. This can be frozen for later dates to ensure you can keep the stuff preserved for a longer time period. Also, you won’t have to hit the supermarkets all the time.
2) Saving Spices & Herbs
There was a time when herbs and spices were named as the dry stuff that didn’t need any preservation, but the trends have changed. If you don’t want mold to infest the herbs and spices, it is better to store them properly. With that being said, you should wrap the herbs in foil, plastic wrap, or paper bag. This can be done with leafy herbs, such as parsley, fill, along with ginger and turmeric pieces.
The users can also take the leafy stuff and chili using the freezer bags. It is suggested that you store and chop the herbs in a proper healthy portion. These pieces can be stored in the ice cube tray. Once the stuff is frozen, you can take them out and store them in containers or bags.
3) Drying
If you have some fresh herbs around, you can always dry them up. That’s to say because you can hang the herbs in a dry or warm environment and store them up in the glass jars. The best thing is that you can dry oregano this way, and it adds the perfect aroma and flavor to the dishes.
4) Take Out The Spoiled Stuff
If some piece of food is going bad, it is suggested that you remove it from the bulk food because it can spoil other food as well. You should store fresh food separately. That’s to say because one bad apple can lead to a whole bucket of spoilage. Well, this issue lies with all vegetables and fruits, so have a keen eye!
5) Regular Cleaning Out
You need to ensure that you conduct regular cleaning of the kitchen cabinets and fridge because it saves the food and increases the shelf life. We are pretty sure that you have multiple containers that get you to wonder what it is. Well, this can be a frightening thought, and such containers shouldn’t be a part of your fridges and containers.
The regular cleaning will ensure that you utilize the best of food you have and throw out the unsavvy one. Also, this will ensure that you don’t buy something twice, so keep checking the back of the fridge and cabinets to explore!
6) Preserve Berries
If you have some berries lying around and don’t have an idea of how to preserve them, you can use apple cider vinegar for that. The apple cider vinegar will help kill the bugs on the surface, and the issues of yeast and mold will be reduced, thus there will be no spoilage. In other words, there will be no contamination, and you will be able to get rid of those food bugs.
7) “Eat This First”
If you want to reduce the food wastage from your household, you need to work on “eat this first” section. This is about a small section that has different food material lying around. With this being said, you need to include the food items that can be juiced up, stock and broth for soup. Also, you should opt for food items that can be frozen and converted into main dishes. This will ensure that you always have something on hand to prepare and whisk up something quickly.
8) Keep The Bananas Joined
We all have kids, and if you have them, you would know how their food eating habits change over time. With this being said, one minute they are crazy about bananas, and the other minute they aren’t. This clearly means that they are going to rot. If you want to preserve and store the bananas for a long time, you need to follow proper methods.
For instance, you can wrap the top of bananas with a foil, plastic wrap, or beeswax wraps. This is important because bananas tend to rip up faster. Also, bananas emit ethylene gas naturally, so make sure you keep them separate from other fruits. So, just keep everything separate and fix up the tops with said material.
9) Save Those Avocados
It is known to everyone that avocados go bad and brown quickly. In this case, you need to save those avocados by outlining the layer of lemon juice to ensure there is a reduction of oxidation. This will reduce the chances of avocados going brown. If you don’t have a lemon, cut the onion in half and store avocados along with it.
10) Storing Lemon Juice
If you have managed to buy a good load of lemons but if they are going bad, squeeze out the lemon juice and store it in the ice cube tray. The ice cubed lemon juice can be popped into a glass of hot or cold water so that you can gain the best flavor.
11) Vegetable Stock
If you are having issues with the vegetables, you can make the stock concentrate. The stock concentrate will ensure that you limp up the greens.
12) Use Greens
Usually, people hate greens such as spinach and parsley. On the other hand, you can cut out the top of carrots, beets, broccoli, and cauliflower, which is the green part rather than throwing them out. These green parts can be cut into small parts and used in vegetable-based dishes, along with juices and salads.
13) Vegetable Pulp
When you use the juicers to make vegetable juice, the vegetable pulp will be left behind. This pulp shouldn’t have a fate of dustbin because it can be used in dog biscuits, compost, broth, and patties.
14) Store The Staples
Every kitchen has garlic, onions, and potatoes as the staples. These things can be packed in brown paper bags to ensure you can increase the life of these vegetables. You can also use old yet clean stockings to store them.
15) Extend Greens
If you want to increase the life of your green vegetables, you need to rinse them up and dry them slightly. Also, these things can then be stored in the container along with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb water that tends to increase the life of these leafy vegetables.
16) Add Vegetables
If you have old vegetables lying around, you can cut them and mix them into the pasta sauce. Also, these vegetables can be used for platters and meat dishes. The addition of vegetables will enhance the nutritional value and fiber. Also, the waste will be reduced, and cost-effectiveness will be harnessed.
17) Water Up
It doesn’t matter which vegetable or fruit we are talking about; if there are stems, you can keep them in the water jug to enhance their life. The stuff that can be saved from water includes hers, chard, celery, kale, and asparagus. Also, you can cover up the tops to ensure there is no spoilage.
18) Be Proactive
If you want to reduce the number of zeros on your grocery bill, it is better to line out the menu for an entire week. This will ensure that you only buy the stuff that you need.
19) Freeze The Juices
If you have extra juice produced around that you need to keep fresh and have a bulk quantity available, you need to freeze them up. The juices can be stored in bulk quantities in your fridge, and you can blend it to make icy shakes.
20) Pickling
It doesn’t matter which fruit or vegetable you are talking about; you can preserve everything by transforming them into pickles. The pickles offer a better source of consumption afterward.
21) Fridge Storage
Some fruits are ripe more quickly as compared to others, such as bananas, pears, apples, and stone fruit. So, it is better to get them a bit unripe and store in the fridge for a long life. All in all, only buy the stuff in bulk if it is consumed or stored properly!
Last Words
All that custom packaging contains life-saving food assistance for people facing hunger. So while it helps solve a humanitarian crisis, it poses a sustainability one. Click here to buy wholesale food boxes to preserve food.
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