Giving Waste the Flick

We do love our food in NSW! Everyday hundreds of people flock to restaurants all over the state to taste a multitude of culinary creations whipped up by chefs. We watch programs such as Jamie Oliver and MasterChef for ideas and hunt down the freshest produce to recreate feasts for our families at home. But one thing we are all guilty of is waste.

Chucking out the jar of old pickles, that was forgotten at the back of the fridge. Or leftovers that have been leftover for a little too long. Even I am guilty of binning the wilted lettuce in order to use the nicer, green leaves.

According to the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, we waste approximately 800 000 tonnes of food per year, the majority of which was once perfectly healthy for consumption.

The Penrith City Council is placing its foot down against waste and in conjunction with the NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage has launched Love Food Hate Waste, a program designed to teach families how to make better choices when purchasing, storing and using food. The organisation’s website states, “Love Food Hate Waste aims to raise awareness about the impact of food waste in NSW and reduce how much ‘good’ food we waste”.

The Penrith City council will be running a series of workshops during October and November to encourage waste minimisation. Lead by Jay Huxley of MasterChef fame, Teresa Rutherford and Vanessa Steele, the workshops will explore useful tips when cooking, growing, purchasing and storing food.

So remember to minimise your wastage! I will be sure to use up my lettuces (and all food) quickly so that I won’t have to throw anything out.

More information can be found at the Penrith Council’s website
www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=7313
or by contacting the council directly.
Hurry as places are limited and booking is essential.

By Brendon D’Souza a.k.a. the Smiling Chef