The Clean Plate Club

Clean Your Plate and help save the climate.

Did your parents ever tell you that, before you could go out to play, you had to “Clean your plate”?  Was there a club in your house called, the Clean Plate Club? Or, when your parents were really upset with your finicky eating habits they came out with the big one, “Finish your dinner! There are children starving in China!”

I never figured out how eating all my vegetables was going to keep somebody on the other side of the world fed. But, I did know if I wanted to go out and play football, those vegetables had to go down the hatch.

Our parents were a waste not, want not, generation.  They were a product of lean times.

Today, the folks that keep track of our eating habits and our food production businesses tell us one third of all the food grown or raised goes to waste.

The causes of food waste vary widely, with the wealth of a country being the greatest factor. Poor countries lack the modern means of production, the structures to protect the harvest, refrigeration (now called the cold chain), and even decent roads to quickly move the harvest. They simply have a heck of a time getting the food to the customer.

We, in a wealthy country, do not have these problems.  We just buy and consume without much forethought.  Much of our waste is caused by over-buying. What used to be saved for another meal often is tossed out. I have good intentions for left-overs so they usually make it back to the refrigerator. Sometimes, if I do not keep track of what’s in the frig, it takes on a look and smell of an 8^th grade science experiment.

In rich countries, we also waste a lot before the consumer gets a chance to buy it.  Retailers know we favor attractive food over ugly food.  Many an apple with a dimple, or a carrot with a hook has not made the cut before we get a chance to see it. 

This tremendous amount of wasted healthy food, discarded because it lacks attractiveness, caught attention of the French & Italian governments. They passed new laws requiring “ugly food” go to charities. What they found was ugly food tastes just as good, is mighty healthy for the consumers and this food donation to the charities helps the charities bottom line finances.  

There are a lot of people in this world going to bed hungry. They number about 830 million. This seems like such a shame when 1/3 of what Mother Earth gives us, is wasted.  It is estimated the 1.3 billion tons of wasted food annually, also represents 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases jammed into the atmosphere for no reason.

There is no one solution to the climate crisis.  Some solutions will take major investments of capital and the coordinated effort of the world governments to speed the growth of wind and solar power. Because of this, we can feel nearly powerless.   But other solutions are well within our ability to do ourselves like changing to LED bulbs, properly insulating our homes, or running an efficient kitchen. It is nice to know that most of these habits save us money.  

While we wait to elect congressmen and senators and presidents that can read and understand science, we can take satisfaction in the little things we do for our kid’s future.  

Note 1: Drawdown claims preventing food waste is a great place to put our efforts and is ranked #3 of 80 solutions in potential effectiveness.

Note 2: Foods are often marked with “sell by” or “best used by” dates. These dates have little or no relationship to safety. As an example, I just tossed a large can of Southern Greens in a stew to spice it up. The date to be used by, 2014. Of course, I inspected the can and contents. The greens were delicious when mixed with locally grown veggies and a little chicken. Educating yourself on food safety, is the best way to be both safe and efficient. In my mind, the most practical of all high school classes have fallen by the wayside. These are the shop and home economics classes.