Americans throw out between 30 and 40 percent of the food that is produced in the country, which is an economic, social and environmental problem. There are many reasons food gets wasted: on the farms it could be due to bad weather or overproduction, or it could sit too long in the grocery store. But household food waste is a result of overbuying, poor planning, improper storage, and confusion about sell by labels and expiration dates.
The Hudson Valley Food Waste Challenge is an interactive, community initiative to raise public awareness about these issues. Participants will learn how to cut down their “foodprint” with easy strategies that will not only reduce what they are tossing in the garbage, but also save money and time. They will get ideas on how to better organize the refrigerator and store food so that it has a maximum shelf life along with safety tips for preparing leftovers and how to substitute ingredients into recipes so you can use what you have on hand. Learn more at this link: https://www.hudsonvalleyeats.com/food-waste-challenge.
The challenge will begin September 20th and last for six weeks. The only things needed to participate are small garbage bags, a small kitchen scale and the desire to feel good about making a positive change in your current waste habits. Through short videos, text messages and emails, participants will stay connected with the community, share their experiences, and see what others are up through hashtags, stories, and live videos. They will also hear from local chefs, farmers, and other food experts on best practices when it comes to shopping, keeping food fresh and creating delicious recipes from what you have in the house. The $25 registration fee provides access to the online community, a toolkit, and resources to help track your success, a very cool t-shirt, and the opportunity to win great prizes.
“The Food Waste Challenge is a great activity for the whole family to do together, do in your neighborhood or get your school involved in. It will teach kids valuable lessons in protecting the environment, economics, healthy heating and giving back,” says Janet Irizarry, Founder of Hudson Valley EATS. “The United States Food Waste Reduction Goal is to reduce food waste by half by 2030, the UN Global initiative is to do it by 2050. As Hudson Valley residents, wouldn’t it be great to do our part to support these efforts as best we can? Each one of us by ourselves may feel there is nothing we can do about climate change, but I promise you, together we can make a difference.”
