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according to their website - isn’t going to lose steam anytime soon, as people are in hot pursuit of nutritious, balanced dishes that take the guesswork out of preparation and utilize farm-fresh ingredients.
Meal preparation planning sites like Plan to Eat, Emeals and e Eat Cleaner Meal Prep Club which provide you recipes, a shopping list, pretty meal pics and a healthful, balanced approach to meal planning will also take a prominent role in helping families become more time and cost e cient in 2017. After all, grilled chicken, brown rice and broccoli are fun for a while but after meal 22, one might just desire a little variety.
2) ZERO WASTE
A U.N. study found that about 1/3 of food worldwide (about 40% in the U.S.) nds its way into a land ll. Not only is it a waste of money and natural resources, rotting food is one of the biggest con- tributors to greenhouse gas emissions. When vast food supplies ll land lls while populations go hungry, it’s time for innovative solu- tions that solve both the food waste and food injustice problems.
After all, grilled chicken, brown rice and broccoli are fun for a while but after meal 22, one might just desire a little variety.
By identifying dead zones in the supply chain that prevent al- most-expired-but-totally- ne-to-eat-food from getting to people who need it, apps such as 412 Food Rescue work with teams of volunteers to redistribute food to community kitchens. A new company called Apeel, which uses land ll-bound organic vegetable waste to create an edible lm that coats fresh produce may be able to extend the life of food better than current methods such as waxes or ripening gases.
Other natural products such as Eat Cleaner are formulated not only to remove pesticide residue, wax and soil that can carry bac- teria, it is also lab proven and patented to extend shelf life up to 200% longer. In 2016, the company also released a new prod- uct, eatFresh-FC, in pre-portioned pouches - a blend of fruit acids and antioxidants that prevent browning on cut produce for up to 7
days. By adding water and mixing the powder into solution, con- sumers can expect apples, pears, avocado and other produce items to stay fresh and delicious.
Beyond shelf life extension, retailers are getting on the band- wagon to o er ‘ugly’ fruit and veggies – produce with imperfec- tions but still preserving taste - at a better price. Whole Foods is working with Imperfect Produce to test sales in a sample of stores, while the east coast retailer, Giant Eagle, is o er blemished bags of edibles under the ‘Produce with Personality’ label with banner signage donning the description: “Some may say it looks weird. We think it looks – and tastes – perfect!”
As consumers are incentivized to save money, so will e orts to mitigate food waste expand - especially as climate change continues to threaten our crop yields. Expect to see more widespread oppor- tunities and incentives for large-scale composting in the public and private sector. Perhaps EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said it best in 2015: “Let’s feed people, not land lls.”
www.edibleorangecounty.com
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