At Peko we help you save money by saving food. But, did you know there was a week dedicated to just doing that? Food Waste Action Week happens in March of every year to focus the world’s attention on the issue of food waste. 

In Canada, the average sized family household wastes about 140 kg of food a year, the total cost being around $1,300. That is 2.3 million tons of food wasted throughout all of Canada costing nearly $20 billion. 30% of that is vegetables, 15% fruits, 13% leftovers, 9% bread and bakery items, 7% eggs and dairy, 6% meat and 20% other food items. Furthermore, 63% of the food thrown away by Canadians was still perfectly edible. With the 2.3 million tons of food wasted, it is emitting 6.9 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Controlling food waste in our daily lives can help us avoid these skyrocketing numbers, money, time, and energy.

This year’s theme is Win. Don’t Bin and is taking place March 6-12, 2023. Showing you how to make the most out of the food you buy and how valuable it is. With simple storage tips, innovative cooking habits and more, we can all take part in Food Waste Action Week and beyond. According to Wrap, the goal of the campaign is to, “increase citizens’ confidence in ‘using up leftovers’ by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.”

Founded in the UK, Food Waste Action Week went international for the first time in 2022. It was heard by over 8 million people across 12 countries and supported by 80 organizations. Close to 55% of those individuals took action to reduce the amount of food ending up in their bin. Sponsors such as Panasonic, Tesco, and Arla are just few of the many who are coming together to support the cause.

Here are some ways you can make the most out of the food you buy:

How to Store Your Produce Properly

Potatoes: store in a cool dark place, allow air circulation & keep separate from onions.

Onions & Garlic: store in a cool dark place, low humidity, keep separate from potatoes.

Cabbage: refrigerate in your crisper, if it's been cut, seal in an airtight container (best stored whole & unrised). This also applied to its cousins, broccoli and cauliflower!

Squash: store at room temperature & keep away from bananas and any other ethylene producers.

Leafy Greens: best kept unwashed and seals, try to avoid excess moisture. If your lettuce looks a bit wilted, soak it in some cold water!  If your wilted greens such as spinach, kale and herbs are looking a bit soft, they are perfectly fine to use (as long as they are not soggy or smelly). 

Citrus Fruits: store on the countertop to ripen or keep fresh longer in the fridge.

Get Scrappy

Save those carrot peels, onion skins, corn cobs, spare herbs, and other produce scraps in a container in your freezer. Once you have enough to fill a pot 3/4 of the way full, fill with water, bring to a boil and simmer to your liking - you know have vegetable broth! You can refrgerate the stock for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.