When preparing daily meals, we often cook more food than we will eat. At that moment, we rarely consider what will happen to the leftovers, as we are convinced we will easily eat them the next day. When that "tomorrow" actually comes, enthusiasm usually fades. Containers with leftovers remain in the refrigerator, and we continue preparing new meals. Leftovers are therefore often not used and end up as food waste.
In Slovenia, the average resident throws away approximately 79 kilograms of food per year, of which, according to estimates by the Statistical Office of Slovenia, approximately 36% or around 28 kg represents still edible food that ended up in the trash, even though it could have been used [1].
The scale of the problem of food loss and waste and its environmental, social, and economic impacts are well documented in international reports [2,3].
Every year, approximately one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tons, which would be enough to feed two billion people. Nearly 735 million people worldwide are hungry, representing approximately one in eleven inhabitants of the planet. More than 30% of agricultural land is used to produce food that we never eat. Food waste contributes 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it one of the significant drivers of climate change.
Fruits, vegetables, and tubers are the most wasted food group and represent nearly 45% of global food waste. The global cost of food loss and waste exceeds 1 trillion US dollars annually. Households that reduce the amount of food waste can save between 300 and 1400 euros per year.
The facts leave no doubt: the way we produce and consume food is unsustainable. What we throw away is not just food, but also water, land, energy, time, and labor invested in its production and preparation. When we throw away bread or dairy products, we also throw away the resources and labor that went into their production. Discarded fruits and vegetables mean additional loss of water and agricultural land. Food loss and waste generation show that the entire food chain – from farm to fork – must work smarter and more efficiently.
Did You Know?
- Stale bread: cut it into cubes and bake croutons for soups or salads; grind it into breadcrumbs for baking; soak it in milk and add to meatballs or vegetable patties.
- Potatoes: chop them up and add to salads; use mashed for homemade gnocchi or fruit dumplings.
- Rice and pasta: add rice to soups or stuffed vegetables, prepare rice salads or eat it with milk; bake cooked pasta with vegetables and light béchamel or use in pasta salads.
- Vegetable scraps: carrot peels, leftover greens, onion peels, and herb stems – cook in water for at least 45 minutes, strain, and use the broth base in risottos, soups, or sauces.
- Vegetable peels: mix clean peels with olive oil and spices and bake at 180°C for 10–15 minutes until crispy.
- Meat: use leftovers in sandwiches, tortillas, or salads.
- Overripe fruit: use for baking, smoothies, or fruit porridge eaten with plain yogurt.
- Eggs: add hard-boiled to salads or sandwiches; mash with yogurt or mustard and use as a spread; use raw egg whites or yolks in omelets, baking pastries, or pancakes.
- Cheese scraps: grate them over pasta; melt in sauces, toasts, or scrambled eggs.
It is precisely with food leftovers that this broader problem becomes most concrete in everyday life. At the household level, we don't influence it with major systemic changes, but with how we handle leftovers immediately after a meal.
Good organization is crucial here. Leftovers should be cooled as soon as possible after a meal and properly stored after cooling, not left at room temperature for extended periods. It helps to label them with the preparation date and store them visibly, in a prominent place in the refrigerator. If we know we won't use them in one or two days, it makes sense to freeze them promptly.
Once these basic conditions are met, food leftovers are no longer a problem, but a starting point for new meals.
Food Leftovers – An Opportunity for Improvement
References
- SURS. Odpadna hrana v Sloveniji. 2024. https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/News/Index/13871.
- Programme, U.N.E., Food Waste Index Report 2024. Think Eat Save: Tracking Progress to Halve Global Food Waste. 2024: Nairobi.
- FAO, Global Facts and Figures – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2024. 2024: Rome.