This is the most heard complaint in two years: food is expensive! Easy to understand: we have experienced the worst period of inflation in decades. And on food, the inflation rate has exceeded what we could see elsewhere.
Rising prices have changed behavior. Like never before, we have heard of circulars, coupons, and the hunt for products displayed at discounts. Merchants and brands operating in the inexpensive product niche have seen new customers appear.
Not only have customers changed their habits, but they like to talk about it. People share their experiences and tips. In the media or on social networks, presentations of tips or places to save perform to the maximum. Consumers never stop looking for ways to reduce their grocery bills.
- Listen to the Dutrizac – Dumont meeting broadcast live every day at 7:05 a.m. via QUB radio :
Tons lost
There’s something we rarely, if ever, hear. This is someone who brags about having reduced their food waste. Someone who says that with the rise in prices, he cooks more, he cooks better and no longer wastes his vegetables or his meat.
However, the figures in this area are staggering. We throw food in the trash (or compost) by the ton. According to Recyc-Québec, 1.2 million tonnes of edible food are lost per year in Quebec. This figure does not include peels, pits or bones. We’re really talking about edible food. The loss represents $1,300 per household.
Of course, part of it is lost in transport and commerce. So much the better if they could improve their performance in order to lower prices. I guess they’re already forcing themselves. Restaurants could also reduce waste by offering more selection of portions such as “small, medium or large”. Everyone orders according to their appetite.
At home
But the greatest place of waste remains homes. Pantries and especially refrigerator drawers remain high places for food to rot. And expiration dates unnecessarily encourage this waste. I can’t believe someone would run three grocery stores to get vegetables at the best price…and then empty the vegetable drawer into the trash the following week.
I am convinced that in many cases, the uneaten proportion, which ends up in the trash, represents a greater percentage than the discount we worked hard to obtain. In some homes, time and effort should also be put into planning meals and portions. Not just about bargain hunting.
I’m talking about it because this week, Recyc-Québec felt the need to publish a Christmas Guide, encouraging the population to waste less food during the holidays. Big meals, big waste, we can imagine that.
The organization highlights the extent of food waste. Nowhere do we read that the situation is improving, that losses are decreasing. Oddly enough, although food costs a lot, the bin remains a destination of choice.