6 ms·

How does meal-kit distribution eliminate a lot of food waste?

• notyourwork 9y ago
  Because the ingredients provided are the exact amounts needed for a meal. If I was making the same meal doing my own shopping I will probably purchase slightly more than I need of some perishable ingredients. These will in a lot of kitchens end up as waste and not used in other meals.
  • vdnkh 9y ago
    Leftovers?
    • notyourwork 9y ago
      One word answer's with a question mark are usually always the answer, thanks for contributing to the conversation.
  • erik-g 9y ago
    That's fair, but when I shop I don't buy food with just one meal in mind. Sure, at home maybe I'll have a bit less onion one day then I would prefer because I used half of it the night before, but storing excess in the fridge and buying with leftovers in mind or multi-use items (bulk bag of carrots) means I have very little excess food waste. Certainly excess food waste is far, far less than packaging material from these companies.
    • clw8 9y ago
      You are the exception though. The statistical fact is that most people are like notyourwork, myself included. I'm absolutely horrible at this. I buy a huge bag of potatoes because even if I waste half the bag (although usually I'm not that bad) it's cheaper than buying a few as needed. I want to use them all but I just don't get around to it in time.
      • rainbowmverse 9y ago
        You can bake them in the microwave and put them in the freezer until needed. There's a lot you can do with a baked potato. I like to cut those freezer pot pies with them so they're actually filling.
        • notyourwork 9y ago
          And sometimes life happens and food goes bad before I have a chance to cook everything I purchased. I cook a lot so I am aware of the versatility of perishable ingredients. That doesn't change the premise of my point.
          • deleted 9y ago
            [deleted]
        • tkxxx7 9y ago
          Why is this being downvoted? It's like almost every post here is interpreted as right/wrong in the context of The Great Argument, and as such, folks are punished for sharing in general. rainbowmverse contributed an idea I'd never thought of (being in notyourwork's camp myself), yet they are being downvoted because their post does not directly support The Most Correct Parent. Like, can we just talk, sometimes?
  • ghaff 9y ago
    It's not so much that people end up with a lot more food than they need and throw it out. It's the wastage at the supermarket and elsewhere in the distribution chain. Furthermore, I suspect the meal kit companies are tending to replace takeout of various sorts and eating out more than they're replacing conventional shopping and cooking. And there's lots of waste throughout in those cases even when it's not visible. It's hard to quantify any of that but, plastic bags or not, I suspect Blue Apron is relatively environmentally friendly.
• naturalgradient 9y ago
  Presumably because of better portioning. For a lot of meals, you only need a very small amount of one ingredient which you cannot buy in that quantity. Meal kits come with the right proportions for every ingredient.
  • calafrax 9y ago
    Yes, waste is reduced on the consumer side, but there is also enormous waste in the supply chain and retail. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/us-throws-away-much-half-food-produce/ https://www.wired.com/2016/07/us-throws-away-much-half-food-...
• rtkwe 9y ago
  Beyond normal shelf spoilage from super markets there's a lot of ingredients that can only really be bought fresh in amounts much larger than can really be used. For example cilantro or parsley generally comes in either in cheap large bunches or much more expensive individually (plastic) packaged smaller servings but the large bunches is way more than most people could reasonably use before it begins to wilt and rot so it's wasted.
  • viewtransform 9y ago
    Put the cilantro/parsley stems immersed in a glass of water. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag and it will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week without wilting
    • rtkwe 9y ago
      Might try that. Space is a little tight in our fridge though so it might not work.