It is important to store vegetables in the fridge in containers or zip-lock bags to extend shelf life and avoid quick deterioration. — ELLO/Unsplash
Every day, Malaysians produce 17,000 tonnes of food waste, out of which nearly 25% is edible. This amount could easily feed nearly 2.9 million Malaysians three meals a day.
The remaining food waste likely ends up rotting or spoilt as a result of carelessness or negligence, which many of us are guilty of.
The issue of food waste is a weighty one that has become deeply entrenched in modern society – both in developing and developed nations. Easy availability of food has perpetuated a culture of wanton wastage. Truthfully, if nothing is done to curb this, future generations will simply hit ‘copy paste’ and mimic the behaviour of the current generation.
Most food waste is also tied to food safety. Ensuring that the handling, preparation and storage of food is dealt with properly can make a huge dent towards ensuring that no food goes to waste.
Before heading to the supermarket, consumers should make a list of what they need to purchase to avoid overbuying and ultimately wasting food. — KEVIN MALIK/PexelsThis is particularly pertinent as wasted food often ends up in landfills, which ultimately contributes to higher greenhouse gas emissions.
The sad reality is many Malaysians have lost the wisdom of generations of yore who did not waste because they had the know-how and pragmatism to utilise techniques to keep, preserve or enhance the life span of ingredients.
But there is no time like the present to learn new things, so here are some handy tips to get you started on your no-food waste journey!
Understanding best before labels and expiry dates
In the United States, data from 2015 showed that an estimated 80% of Americans prematurely discarded food due to confusion about food labels i.e. best before, expiry dates and sell by dates.
All these labels can be extremely befuddling for the average consumer and for people wary about food safety, this often means a product is binned – regardless of the fact that it is still edible.
So what do these labels actually mean?
Best before dates are primarily for canned foods with longer shelf lives. These foods go through thermal processing, meaning they are processed at temperatures ranging from 121ºC (for food like canned fruit cocktails) and 170ºC (for canned meats). This effectively destroys most of the bacteria, including dangerous spores, which is why average shelf life is 18 months.
Best before dates indicates how long the product may be stored prior to consumption. If it says best before April 2023, then before the date, the colour, nutrients, texture and flavours are there.
Best before labels are typically used for canned food, which can often last for up to three years, often past the best before date indicated on the label. — KAREN LAARK BOSHOFF/Pexels
After the date, the colour might be slightly altered – it’s still safe to consume but it isn’t as appealing when you look at it. Generally, canned foods can last two to three years. So check before you throw out that canned food as it might still be edible even though it is past its ‘best before’ date.
Expiry dates on the other hand, relate to perishable foods like milk and yoghurt. It is important to note that food producers often take extra precautions when displaying these dates. So milk for example, might actually have a shelf life of 21 days but the food producer might indicate that it expires in 14 days – just to be on the safe side.
It is best to use intuition and sense to see if fresh milk past the expiry date is still usable. — CHARLOTTE MAY/PexelsIn this case, using intuition and sense for certain fresh produce – like milk or bread – might be a handy tool to determining if something is still usable. After all, when yoghurt has curdled, you can tell. When milk is sour, you know.
In the case of meat however – if has not been frozen upon purchase – it is best to follow expiry dates to the letter.
To add to consumers’ confusion, some products also display sell-by dates, which many people mistake for an expiry date. In reality, sell-by dates are there for retailers to do stock rotation, as products have to be sold by a particular date, failing which, they are collected back and often end up being discarded or used as animal feed.
Ultimately, knowing what these labels mean can go a long way towards understanding what should be discarded and what can safely be used.
Avoiding food spoilage
Perhaps one of the biggest causes of food waste is mishandling or mismanagement of food itself. In the United States for example, about two-thirds of food is thrown away because it is not used before it goes bad. A lot of this stems from a lack of knowledge about proper ways of handling food. Once this knowledge is applied, in many instances, food will last longer, thus potentially avoiding wastage.
To begin with, upon purchasing meat and seafood, these items should be quickly divided into meal-sized portions and then immediately stored in the freezer (if not cooking immediately).
Meat stored in a freezer can last up to a year, but once defrosted, should never be frozen and thawed again. — VICTORIA SHES/UnsplashAlso monitor your freezer temperature to ensure that it is below -15°C. Fresh meat and seafood stored in a freezer can last up to a year and once defrosted, should not be frozen and thawed again.
Meat and seafood kept in a refrigerator (at least 5ºC and below) should be cooked as quickly as possible to avoid wastage.
Most vegetables on the other hand – like carrots, broccoli, cabbage and celery should be kept in sealed containers or zip-lock bags (this will help keep it fresher for longer) in the crisper of a fridge. Mushrooms meanwhile are best stored in paper bags.
Also it is always best to separate fruits and vegetables. Some fruits like apples and bananas for instance, release ethylene gas, which accelerates the ripening and deterioration of certain vegetables like leafy greens, cabbage and broccoli. This can cause unnecessary wastage.
Aromatics like garlic and ginger should be kept at room temperature (without plastic packaging as this will expedite spoilage) so they last longer.
Semi-perishable foods like flour, pasta and rice can be frozen or refrigerated in a sealed container for up to six months. In Malaysia, weevils often attack rice and flour when kept at room temperature, so to avoid wastage, keep these items in your fridge and use when necessary.
Vegetables that are past their prime are great for making vegetable soups or adding to other soups. — BLUEBIRD PROVISIONS/Unsplash
Adjust food needs as required
Overpreparing, overbuying and poor planning can all be contributory factors when it comes to food waste.
Before heading out to the grocery store, it is good to do a check to see what is in your pantry and fridge. Take everything out if necessary so you don’t inadvertently end up buying something that you don’t need.
Also double-confirm that all family members will be at home every day of the week that you intend to cook. That way, you will only need to buy what you need for the amount of people you intend to feed.
Leftovers can be turned into brand new meals like kuliyal rice, which is popular throughout Sri Lanka and is often made using leftover dishes mixed together with rice. — ALIYAA
When shopping, think about purchasing unripe fruit (so it lasts longer) and only opt for the freshest looking produce (also so its lasts longer). When cooking, remember to cook food in the order of how well it is likely to last.
This means meals made up of leafy greens that are likely to wilt fast should be made first while hardier vegetables like carrots or cabbages can be cooked on the last day of the week. Also adapt and use what you have. If a recipe calls for a vegetable that you don’t have, just use what you have instead and invent your own recipe!
And eat those leftovers or repurpose them. Leftovers have been the foundation of some great Asian-style meals. Like Sri Lankan kuliyal rice, which sees all the leftover dishes from the day before combined with leftover rice to form a whole new meal. Some leftover meat and vegetable dishes can also often be used to make fried rice.
Think outside the box or if you can’t be bothered – don’t think at all, just eat leftover meals as they are and think of these meals as saving you the bother of cooking for the day.
Preservation techniques like pickling vegetables in vinegar to make achar can be a great way to extend the shelf life of fresh vegetables. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
Preservation techniques and repurposing ingredients
In the past, many Malaysians were adept at repurposing ingredients or extending the shelf life of fresh produce. Ikan bilis (dried anchovies) for instance arose as a means of preserving the shelf life of fish. These skills can be brought to the fore again, for those looking to ensure their food lasts longer.
Vegetables that are wilting or looking a little worse for the wear can be roasted instead of thrown. — AMERICAN HERITAGE CHOCOLATE/UnsplashWhile refrigeration remains the most common preservation method, there are plenty of other ways to ensure food lasts longer, like pickling with vinegar or oil, curing with salt, drying and fermenting.
Vegetables for example can be pickled in vinegar and turned into achars while meats can be brined in salt. The Internet is packed with recipe ideas so if you have an overabundance of a certain ingredient, look online for recipes that will help keep it for longer.
It is also important to remember that even when a vegetable is past its prime, it can often still be utilised or repurposed in some other way. For example, herbs that are wilted can be used to make a vibrant pesto or an Indian-style mint pudina.
Vegetables that are looking a little worse for the wear can be roasted or turned into the base for hearty vegetable soups.
Ultimately, there are plenty of ways to use or make use of ingredients that would otherwise be destined for landfills. If you stay focused on that, you’ll find all sorts of incredible ways to build new meals out of seemingly unusable produce.
