Christmas is a season full of giving, celebrating and gathering with our loved ones, and food is a very important part of these events. Over 3,200 tonnes of food waste is sent to landfills every day in Hong Kong, and this shocking number will likely be even higher during this festive season. The good news is that there are many actions we can take as individuals to help combat food waste. Here are 5 easy steps you can follow.
1) Plan before ordering
Making a plan before you order or buy food is a great way to avoid food waste. This works no matter you are ordering takeaway food for parties or eating out at restaurants. You can count the number of guests you are hosting and calculate the food you need to make sure you do not order too much. Be sure to check people’s dietary restrictions and preferences to reduce the chance of food ending up in the bin.
2) Choose food waste free recipes
Hosting house parties is a common way to celebrate Christmas. While you are cooking for your friends and family, why not be creative and cook in a way that produces the least food waste possible? When you are choosing your food ingredients, go for those that can be used up the most, e.g. veggies and fruit that can be eaten whole. Remember to to check what you already have in your cupboards and fridge and prioritise using food that is close to its expiry dates. Out of ideas? Check out these videos from some of Hong Kong’s finest chefs for inspiration.
3) Store food properly
There might be plenty of leftovers after big meals – both unused ingredients and untouched cooked food. It is important to know how to store food properly so it does not go to waste. By keeping food in containers and storing it in the fridge or freezer, we can extend its lifetime and give ourselves more time to finish leftovers.
4) Volunteer with us
Feeding Hong Kong works tirelessly all year round to rescue surplus food, and help from volunteers is essential to our operations. If you have time off in December, joining our volunteer activities is a great way for you to spend a day rescuing surplus food and help us keep food flowing to where it is needed most. Here are some roles we need help with.
- Delivery Assistant: Jump in one of our trucks to support our drivers making food collections and deliveries. Check out the available shifts here.
- The Bread Run: Become a Bread Runner. Help us rescue unsold buns and baked products from local bakeries across Hong Kong and bring them back to our warehouse on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. You can find the list of upcoming slots here. Or you can be our Bread Run Coordinator, staying in our Yau Tong warehouse to help with venue set up, welcoming the Bread Runners and then sorting and packing the collected bread for the next day’s deliveries.
5) Donate to support our work
By collaborating with ovr 100 food companies last year, we rescue high quality surplus food and redirect it to our frontline charity partners, who in turn feed those in need in the community. We run 2 warehouses, keep 5 trucks on the road and rescue over 1,250 tonnes of food surplus last year. By donating to us, you are supporting our mission of keeping “Food wanted, not wasted”. For only HK$100, you can support 10 meals for a local charity.
(Some photos credit to https://unsplash.com/)
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