An Instagrammer is showing the world how she keeps her food fresh to prevent food waste, since washing and storing food properly can make sure food remains edible for a much longer time.
The scoop
Maria Watkins (@livingplanetfriendly) describes herself as having an imperfect "low waste life, in my homestead era."
"We grocery shop every two weeks, so everything needs to last at least two weeks," Watkins tells viewers in the Reel.
The video begins with Watkins putting an array of vegetables in a sanitized sink and submerging the produce in water. She then pours some white vinegar in with all the veggies.
After rinsing the vegetables, she dries almost all of them with a towel and places each vegetable category in its own area. For example, peas and beans go into a glass bowl in the refrigerator, while tomatoes go into a container with holes in it.
How it's helping
Hacks like these help keep food fresher for longer, which means less food waste — that's obviously good for our wallets and also for the planet.
Almost 40% of the total food produced in the United States goes to waste, according to Feeding America. This means around 119 billion pounds of food are discarded annually.
The problem of food waste is not just symbolic.
A United Nations report highlighted that roughly 8% to 10% of carbon pollution contributing to the overheating of the planet stems from food waste.
There are two main reasons for this.
Firstly, during the transportation of food, gas-powered vehicles such as trucks and ships release toxic gases into the atmosphere that contribute to the planet's temperature rise.
This transportation-related pollution accounts for approximately 6% of the total polluting gases produced by the food industry that impact the Earth's climate.
Secondly, the substantial amount of land required for agricultural purposes, including deforestation to make room for farming, worsens the problem.
Trees absorb harmful pollutants that heat the planet, so deforestation leads to an increase in toxic gases present in the air.
Land usage, especially for activities like livestock rearing, is responsible for around 24% of the polluting gases stemming from overall food production.
Keeping food fresh can do a lot for our planet.
What everyone's saying
"Love this!" one commenter admitted.
Another asked: "How do you combat moisture buildup in the fridge?"
One person responded with a solution, saying: "My mom put a tiny bowl with baking soda in the fridge."
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