New Thing #2:

RESCUED FOOD

Did you know that if food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after USA and China?
I didn’t know either. But I got inspired by Reusable Nation to do some research & try rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste.

Apparently, a huge part of the loss is entirely preventable 🙈 and happens at the retail level.
Shops, supermarkets & restaurants are forced to waste large quantities of food due to appearance quality or nearing expiration dates. Which is a shame, because this food is perfectly edible, but not sellable. ☹️ 

The good news is: it can be rescued!

Rescued Food Stores

So I did some googling and found out a store in Toronto that sells rescued food. It’s a not-for-profit store that sells food donated by stores, supermarkets or restaurants. All the donations get food to those who need it. 😍
So it’s all in one: Reduce food waste, raise money, get your grocery shopping, and save the planet!
How cool is that? 😎

So we’ve tried it! 🛒
It works like a regular grocery store: you get a basket, grab what you need, the only difference is you pay what you can. Which always gets a bit weird, but we tried to pay a fair amount of what we would have spent in another store.

Of course, some of the veggies are bruised or very ripe, so you need to consume them in the next day or two. But that’s okay.

Was it worth it?

From what we bought I was able to make a Hungarian pepper stew, a banana bread, and a veggie soup. Pretty much 2-3 days worth of food for two plant-eating people.

The only downside: the store is located in a different part of the town 😕so it doesn’t make sense for me to travel there every time. However, I will be trying to support it whenever I’m running errands in that neighborhood. I also hope there will be more places that support rescuing food so it makes sense for more people.

What do you think? Are you going to try it?
Do you have similar stores in your neighboorhood?
Do you have other tips for preventing food waste?

Let me know at 100 New Things To Try
Maybe I’ll try them, too!