As a retired chef, I currently work in a regional grocery chain that offers a mix of organic and conventional foods. They continue to establish community connections and have actually become the main support for a variety of local food entrepreneurs. The benefits provided to employees exceed those of most such businesses, one of which is a program allowing employees to take home food that has been discarded. The wages paid are well above minimum pay, but considering the high costs of food and rent this particular benefit is enormously helpful, especially to those employees with children. The store also welcomes gleaners from a variety of charitable organizations to pick up and distribute much of the food. The daily accumulation of discarded food, however, is somewhat shocking. Given the season, nearly every day I see approximately fifty to sixty pounds of apples on the free shelf. Employees and gleaners take a good portion of that amount, but at the end of the day at least twenty pounds of apples remain, as well as a sizable amount of squash and other vegetables. A lot of processed food, including cheese, yogurt, milk and eggs is also available, as the manufacturer-created expiration dates determines that it can no longer be sold. All of the available food is perfectly edible for at least a week after the expiration date and often longer. The apples and other fruits and vegetables merely contain a spot here and there or are otherwise slightly deformed. I wrote about the enormity of food waste in this country in September (Food Waste in America), and now recently learned that, aside from any program initiated by President Obama, legislation is being proposed as a first real attempt to rein in the amount of edible food that’s being tossed into landfills.
This last week, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, announced that she was introducing legislation that would reduce food waste. Considering that the National Resources Defense Council found, in a comprehensive study on food waste in 2012, that we are wasting roughly 40% of our food, this legislation is a much needed first step. The details of the bill are still being drafted, but Pingree has stated that the legislation would, among other things, change the way “sell by” or “best by” dates are used on products. “A lot of people mistakenly think there is some sort of government standard for ‘best by’ dates and that you have to throw out food once the date is passed. The truth is it’s the manufacturer that comes up with those dates, and much of the time the food is perfectly safe to eat well after the date has passed,” Pingree said in a press release. Ms. Pingree also would like the bill to provide tax incentives to farmers and retailers to sell non-perfect looking produce that often isn’t even harvested. She suggests that school lunch programs could benefit by purchasing these foods at a lower cost. Pingree would like the bill to focus on consumer awareness, incentives to alter our agricultural system so as to minimize food waste and programs to encourage retailers to sell “imperfect” foods. Pingree would like the bill to contain “nearly two dozen provisions to reduce food waste across the economy.”
The Obama administration has recently set a goal to reduce food waste in this country by half during the next fifteen years. It’s difficult to see how this program could succeed without a specific law aimed at the problem, although any public relations campaign would be beneficial. And as a press release in September by the USDA and EPA acknowledges, reducing food waste does more than feed the many people in this country who suffer from food insecurity. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in the release that “by reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources and protect our planet for future generations.” The press release points out that “food loss and waste is [the] single largest component of disposed U.S. municipal solid waste.”
I was recently given a bottle of locally made, organic yogurt by the vendor who also made the product. He was perturbed that he had to pull so much yogurt off the shelf as the sell by date had expired. He claimed the yogurt would still be good for another two weeks at least. The date on the bottle was 11/23. I just ate a spoonful of it today and it was delicious. To change all of our perceptions concerning food safety will be difficult. The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, however, has posted a list of things to be aware of as we shop and cook. Significantly, there is a statement concerning our understanding of food labels, saying that “such terms are not an indicator of food safety.” There’s also a very funny quote by Calvin Trillin at the end.
I don’t know if the ridiculous Congress we have now will somehow find objections to a bill aimed at reducing food waste, although I can certainly see the Grocery Manufacture’s lobbying organization weighing against it. Even so, the more we all become aware will be beneficial to this commendable campaign.
Recipe of the Week
This is a meal suggestion and one of my favorites. I’ve posted recipes for homemade flour tortillas before and certainly refried beans, but it’s worth a reminder.
Refried Beans
soak a full cup of pinto beans in cold water overnight or at least for a few hours. Pour the beans and their soaking liquid into a large pot, cover with more cold water, add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and 1.5 teaspoons of sugar. Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer for about two hours. You may have to add more water during the cooking process. When the beans are done, and still a little soupy, process them with an immersion blender or puree in a food processor. Add one full tablespoon of organic tomato sauce and about 2 cups of cheese, your choice, cut up into small pieces or grated. Taste for salt.
Tortillas
3 cups organic white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water, heated, not from the tap
Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixer or food processor. Pulse the ingredients to mix. Add 1 cup warm water and the oil and process for about 30 seconds in the processor and two minutes or more in the mixer until the dough has balled up. Remove and knead briefly on a floured surface. Cut the dough into ten pieces, flatten them out, put on a lightly floured backing sheet and cover with a cloth for ten minutes. Heat a cast iron pan to medium high. Roll out each piece very thinly and place in the pan. Cook until bubbles appear then flip. The whole cooking process for each tortilla takes a little less than 2 minutes, although I’ve never timed it exactly; I just look at it and maybe touch them to see if they’re done. Put the tortillas on a plate. Let them sit until cool (I usually flip them to let the bottom ones cool off). Place in a plastic bag and freeze. No need to place paper between them – they don’t stick together.
Now you have a few meals. The one I like the best is to place beans on the tortilla, fold it over once and heat in a microwave. As that’s heating, I scramble one organic egg – no salt necessary. Open the flap of the tortilla, scrape the egg onto it and that’s it. All you need is a little hot sauce.