This is what remains: buying food for the holiday? You should read before - voila! Of money

Centuries of scarcity have shaped a culture of excessive consumption that manifests itself mainly around the holiday table.

Isn't it a shame about the food that is thrown away? (Photo: ShutterStock)

Just before starting the massive shopping and non-stop cooking for Passover, it is worth paying attention to the data of the organization Leket Israel and the research company BDO, according to which the Israeli public is expected to spend 8.7 billion shekels on food for the coming holiday, of which a loss of about 250 thousand tons is expected, worth about 1.9 A billion shekels along the food production and supply chain.

The loss in the retail industry during the holiday month is about 42 thousand tons worth about NIS 440 million, and among households the loss is worth about NIS 1.2 billion.

Of the approximately NIS 3,000 that an average household will spend on food during the holiday period, approximately NIS 400 will be lost.

Also, according to the data, each family in Israel throws away an average of NIS 300 every month as a result of food that was purchased and thrown away.

"The figures regarding food loss in households sound imaginary," says

.

"It's also related to a cultural aspect. Every holiday with us revolves around food. People prepare a lot of food for the holiday, because they want to show abundance. The question is, what do we do

with the leftover food? Everyone and their culture. There are those who cook a lot for the holiday, and then save and eat for a week Others distribute what is left to the guests at the end of the meal, and there are those who cook for the holiday and then throw away what is left - either because they have nothing to do with this food later, or they are simply unwilling to eat food that is not fresh. I don't think there is a general awareness among the public to the cumulative amounts of food thrown away".

"This is a very significant question, how do we educate the entire public on the topic of saving in the household, and how can we as consumers control it when we are being pushed one after the other. Will we ever reach zero waste at home? Probably not. But it is possible to reduce food waste.

One way is to buy as much as you really need.

I had friends abroad, a couple with a child, that in the past I did not understand how they behaved. They would go to the supermarket every day, every day buy three pieces of meat, three tomatoes, three cucumbers. Their refrigerator was always empty. Today I know that the issue of sustainability and Throwing food was important to them."

Gidi Karuch, CEO of Leket Israel (Photo: Marv Ravitz Moshel)

Is the era of the big supermarket over?

Karauch adds: "According to the UN, if we consider the existing amount of people in the world, then in the short term there probably won't be enough to feed everyone.

Therefore, in my estimation - and I don't know exactly when it will happen - we are nearing the end of the era of huge and large supermarkets, because the price of food will rise very significantly, and then people will be more careful, consume things in the amount they really need, and this will reduce this waste.

The world is moving in this direction.

By the way, even today if you travel in European cities you usually don't see huge supermarkets like you see here in Israel on every corner.

You see small stores, containers, whereas in Israel we flock to the American system, that everything is big, everything immediately, everything now."

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Shay Rilov, CEO of the Robin-Food Association (Photo: Noa Kozak)

We got used to wasting food

Food loss is a phenomenon that we witness not only during the holidays, but throughout the year.

In the National Report on Food Loss and Salvage by Collect Israel in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection written by BDO and published about five months ago with reference to the year 2021, it emerged that the extent of food loss in Israel in 2021 was 2.6 million tons with a value of about NIS 21.3 billion, which is about 37% of the volume of food production in Israel. Of this, 50% of the volume of food is salvageable, meaning food fit for consumption, amounting to over 1 million tons and worth approximately NIS 7.5 billion. "Preventing and reducing food waste is a global challenge and one of the goals of the United

Nations for sustainable development. About 50% of food waste in Israel occurs within households," says

, which aims to create a platform accessible to the public in the fields of sustainability, consumerism, community and social action through activity on the issue of food waste in an experiential way.

"The phenomenon of food waste is widespread all over the world and causes economic, social and environmental damage.

There is no doubt that we have all experienced food waste in our personal lives. Perhaps because it happens all the time, we have become accustomed to it. But once you put it in proportion and see the impact of this on our pocketbook Thousands of shekels a year and also the global impact on an environmental and social level, it helps a little to put things in a framework that gives another impetus to change in our lives."

"It has to do with our awareness, our habits, the way we buy, serve, store. Maybe we buy disproportionate quantities to what we will use during the week; maybe we don't necessarily buy what we need in the first place because supermarkets try to get us to buy as much as possible and tempt us with sales. Maybe we prepare a pot of Two of the size they would eat at home, there is a lot of food left and then we get bored and don't want more. Or maybe we don't know how to store food properly. Also as a result of the refrigerator being messy, there can be waste. Israelis like to think they are not suckers, but here they actually throw away thousands of Shekels of food that we don't enjoy at all."

"The first rule is to check what's in our fridge, freezer and pantry before going to the supermarket, then make an orderly shopping list. You might even find that you can save an entire trip to the supermarket, if you go on culinary adventures based on what's available at home. Also, when we shop more frequently, The chance that we will buy relevant quantities increases.

If, for example, you go to the supermarket three times a week and buy what you need for the next day or two, instead of going once a week and shopping for an entire week - you will be more aware of what you really need. After you return from the supermarket, it is recommended to arrange the shopping in the way you see it What do you have, and there won't be bags that are hidden. You also need to know how to store correctly. For example, take lettuce leaves, mint, etc. out of their sealed bags so that there is not too much moisture and wrap them in a towel."

Osnat Golan, VP of Communications, Corporate Brand and Sustainability at Strauss (Photo: Tal Shahar)

The chef's dish: leftovers

In order to raise awareness of the issue, the Robin Food association tries not to preach, but to invite people to experiential events, where they will see how it is possible to create change.

An example of this is the "Disco-Food" event, which took place recently at the initiative of the Strauss Group, the Tel Aviv Municipality, the Port Market and the Robin Food Association, where chefs prepared, among other things, dishes from vegetables and shaded fruits.

"Reducing food waste is a global challenge and preventing it is a common international goal," says

Sustainability at Strauss. With the general public, the consumers - this is how we will contribute to preventing wastage, increasing food salvage, promoting food security, reducing expenses of the public and companies, and in a significant way we will contribute to the environment by avoiding the unnecessary destruction of food that causes garbage and emissions.

We lead and partner, among other things, in programs with farmers for the responsible use of raw materials and optimize the activity in the company's factories, alongside initiatives and projects to improve responsible food consumption habits with associations and organizations." As an economic entity, your goal is to encourage increased consumption of your products

"Companies and brands have long understood that they will gain trust the more they create a positive impact on people's lives.

We invest in developing products that are adapted to the evolving needs of people, and naturally we encourage them to purchase our products.

But at the same time, we believe in responsible consumption and responsible management of the food chain.

Part of responsible marketing and a basis for promoting Strauss' commitment to nourish and nurture a better tomorrow rests on promoting responsible consumption behaviors.

Consumption that takes into account the wants and needs of food consumption at home, alongside the fact that it does not encourage overconsumption, waste of food and unnecessary expenses and damage to the environment."

Dafi Kramer, chef, food researcher, and "Pot for Salam" initiatives (Photo: Natali Tamir)

Goulash in the pocket

"With Israelis, and it doesn't matter if they are a second generation after the Holocaust or after the Holocaust, the refrigerator must be full, there must be plenty," says

.

"Wasting food at home stems from the culture of abundance in the Western world.

We buy with our eyes quantities that we don't really know how to consume. Most families buy far more than their consumption power, and in the end a lot of vegetables, fruits and dairy products are simply thrown away. I think we appropriated it from the culture In the US you need everything in a big way.

I travel a lot in Europe and see a different culinary concept, where you buy what you need for that day: 6 eggs and not a tray, three cucumbers and not a kilo."

If you still bought too much, or cooked too much or it seems to you that a certain product in the refrigerator is no longer at its best, Kramer suggests not throwing it away but being creative.

"For example, I can turn leftover rice into Asian rice cookies," she says.

"A black washed banana can be used in banana pudding or banana cake. In delicacies, for example, I don't care about the expiration date, as long as the product is fine. You can use such a product in cakes, pies. You don't have to immediately throw it away."

"First of all, before cooking for the holiday, I recommend that everyone prepare as many dishes as they want, but in edible quantities. After all, if you have 20 diners, not everyone will eat all 17 dishes on the table. Children probably won't touch the filte-fish, so even 15 meatballs will be enough . Is the meal over and there are leftovers? Be bold, add new flavors. For example, if I have leftover roast beef from the evening of the holiday or goulash, I'll push it into some kind of dough and make pockets."

"First of all, one of the things that most causes waste is the gap between the eyes and the stomach," says

.

"When we plan a meal, we think of each dish as if it were the only dish that a person is supposed to eat for a week, but in practice we prepare about 10 dishes for the holiday and the guest will taste a little of this and a little of that. I have been to holiday meals of four meat dishes, when each dish was prepared in the order of 200 grams per person. When you prepare 200 grams of each dish twice the number of guests - it's clear that it doesn't make sense."

"First of all, when planning a holiday meal, you need to look at the entirety of the meal and not just a portion of it. Also, holiday meals are often treated as a one-time event, but it is part of our lives. Therefore, if there is food left over, you need to know how to use it. For example, leftover meat can be used as a filling for something, or to make a pie out of it. You have to think creatively. There is no reason to throw away food that we have cooked. Even when you put the leftovers in the refrigerator, it often happens that you forget about it and throw it away after a week. That is why the issue of arranging the refrigerator is very critical. For example, if I put something in the refrigerator, I always put the The older one is on the outside, and also sticks a sticker that says what it is and the date. It all starts with awareness, with thought."

Yaniv Gor Aryeh, the head chef of Strauss (Photo: Strauss Public Relations)

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• Passover night

• holiday dinner

• Collect Israel

• Robin Hood