What can you do?
Awareness is essential, so exploring our website is a good start. By learning about the problem and understanding its causes, you can come up with solutions that suit you more easily.
Tips
Sometimes the biggest change comes from the smallest habits.
Ways to make food last longer
Proper storage is vital. Many people believe that all produce belongs in the refrigerator, but that's not necessarily the case. As shown in the graphics below (1), multiple products benefit from being kept at room temperature. The cold environments may negatively impact not only their texture and taste but also their longevity.
What's more, some produce shouldn't be stored together because they produce chemicals harmful to each other. In this case, the chemical is ethylene, a gas that accelerates the softening of produce. This table (2) shows the duos that simply don't work, and putting them together should be avoided if possible.
When it comes to cut herbs, treat them like flowers by trimming their stems and placing them in a glass of water, and watch them stay fresh for longer.
If you can never finish the produce you buy before it goes bad, try fermentation or simply freezing them.
Ways to utilize scraps
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Recycle eggshells by grinding them into a calcium-rich powder that can be added to your meals.
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Make nutritious stock from vegetable and meat scraps.
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Similarly, make juice or compote with mushy fruit.
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Stale bread can be turned into croutons or breadcrumbs.
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Immerse apple cores in water and sugar and get apple cider vinegar within a few weeks.
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Vegetable peels can become chips.
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If you have a garden, try using scraps as a natural fertilizer.
Sources:
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Truworth Wellness. Fruits And Vegetables You Should Always Refrigerate—And You Shouldn’t [Internet]. Thewellnesscorner.com. 2024 [cited 2025 Oct 25]. Available from: https://www.thewellnesscorner.com/blog/fruits-and-vegetables-refrigerate-or-not.
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August 05 MKH, 2022. Why You Should Never Store Onions with Potatoes—Plus, Other Fruits and Vegetables That Don’t Go Together [Internet]. Martha Stewart. 2022. Available from: https://www.marthastewart.com/8296471/fruits-vegetables-never-store-together.
