Let your New Year’s table be not only tasty and beautiful, but also reasonable. Reduce food waste: make your New Year’s table more eco-friendly Climate and environment
The New Year holidays are a time of abundance, generously laid tables and warm gatherings with loved ones. However, behind all this festive bustle, it is important to remember about sensible consumption. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than a billion portions of food are thrown away every day in the world. The New Year is a great opportunity to start changing the situation and contribute to solving the problem.
The scale of the problem
According to the results of a study presented by UNEP in 2024, in 2022, each inhabitant of the planet accounted for about 132 kilograms of food waste, which is equivalent to almost a fifth of all food available to consumers. The majority of this waste – 60 percent – is generated in households.
As UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized:
“Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions of people will go hungry today because food is wasted around the world.”
Food loss and waste is responsible for 8-10 percent of global emissions, nearly five times the level of the aviation sector, and significant biodiversity loss, covering an area equivalent to nearly a third of the world’s agricultural land. The cost to the global economy of both food loss and waste is estimated at around one trillion dollars.
Your contribution makes a global impact
There are many ways to reduce food waste and contribute to more sustainable food consumption. Not only major changes can help with this, but also simple habits that can be introduced into everyday life, especially in the run-up to the New Year holidays.
Here are some useful tips to help make your New Year’s table not only delicious, but also environmentally friendly:
- Plan your menu in advance. To avoid unnecessary purchases, make a list of the necessary products and strictly adhere to it. Estimate how many people will come to the party and calculate how much food is needed. This will help avoid surpluses that can then be thrown out.
- Choose local products. Local seasonal products are not only fresh and tasty, but also require less transportation costs. For example, you can choose vegetables, fruits and fish for the New Year’s table, supporting local producers.
- Buy imperfect products. Don’t be afraid to buy fruits and vegetables with external defects, because their taste will not suffer from this. Such products are ideal for making salads, soups or side dishes.
- Use leftovers. On New Year’s Eve, there is often a lot of food left over that can be used the next day. Freeze or process the leftovers into new dishes. For example, you can make a pie from leftover vegetables, and soup or salad from meat.
- Store food properly To prevent food from spoiling, store it properly. Use airtight containers to store opened packages and keep an eye on expiration dates.
- Minimize portions. When eating out or cooking at home, try to avoid ordering or preparing too much food. Instead, prepare several small portions of different dishes so that everyone can try everything without overeating or throwing away leftovers.
- Don’t throw away food scraps – compost them! Fruit and vegetable scraps can be composted. It’s an environmentally friendly way to get rid of waste and create fertilizer for your garden.
- Reduce water consumption. Water is one of the main resources for food production, and it’s important to be careful about how it’s used. Make sure you use water wisely during the holidays – don’t leave it running while you’re cooking or washing dishes.
- Cook with legumes and grains. Festive meals that include legumes like lentils or chickpeas and grains like quinoa are not only healthy, they’re also more eco-friendly.
- Share with others. If you have leftover food on the table, don’t throw it away. Donate extra food to charities or share with neighbors and friends. Food sharing apps and services can help you find recipients.
The festive season is a special time when households often face an excess of food. Let your New Year’s table not only be delicious and beautiful, but also reasonable. Remember: each of us can make the world a little better, starting with our own home!
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