joi, 24 octombrie 2013

37 Critical Food Items For Survival

By Owen Nixon


The UN claims that Food production must double by 2050 to meet the demand of the worlds growing population. However, most of the worlds productive farmland is already in use, so increased food production will require extending intensive farming methods with greater use of pesticides and fertilizers leading to the increased release of greenhouse gases. Paradoxically, UK government policy is attempting to deal with both of these problems simultaneously with plans to "boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment". Is this realistic, or is there an easier way?

Growing a plot of vegetables 15 feet by 15 feet will produce enough food to feed your family while fresh, and many pounds left over for preserving. Freezing and drying are two methods of preservation; however, many nutrients can be lost during those processes. To retain the most nutrients and extend the life of home grown vegetables and fruits, canning is the best method of preservation.Based on this information it is possible to draw up a list of obligations that could be imposed on the food industry to significantly reduce food waste.

Using our present methods, significant food waste occurs at all stages of the food industry. The first waste stream occurs at the production stage due to damage and accidental harvesting through weather, pestilence and machinery, resulting in unsuitable quality and appearance. In storage, losses can be attributed to pests and micro-organisms causing reductions in the nutritional values and edibility of food. Further losses are generated during processing and packaging due to the handling of food and by shrinkage in weight or volume. Whilst foods which contradict safety standards need to be removed from the food chain, such regulations can conflict with efforts to reuse food waste such as in animal feed. The amount of food wasted before arriving at the retailer is unknown but may amount to at least 20% of that farmed.

Poultry perfect- Poultry prices have been climbing up steadily from quiet a long time. This can be due to increase in petroleum which affects transportation. You can save on poultry by buying whole bird, if you have no major problems in its cutting and storage. Another alternative is to go for drumsticks and thighs as they have more flesh.Carry coupons with you- Although coupons avail you a discount of 50 cents on a food item, but in a long run they can help in increasing your savings. Most of us tend to forget these coupons at home while going for shopping. You can also stack coupons to get double discounts.

Finally, including children it is estimated that we eat on average about 2320 Kcal/day/person in the UK. This, could be an underestimate, yet is still 10% more calories than is necessary for an average persons recommended intake based on the UK age distribution and gender and reference nutrient intake tables. In addition to placing extra strain on the food supply chain, this can lead to a variety of health problems for individuals who eat far more than their required intake.In total, according to these calculations only about 45% of the food actually farmed is actually necessary for adequate nutrition, and most of the remaining 55% of waste is preventable, amounting to the equivalent of 72 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year in the UK. This is approximately 10% of the total UK output and almost as much as its entire transport system.There have been previous initiatives to reduce food waste. The official UK government line is that "most of the major supermarket retailers in the UK....have committed to work with the Government's waste-reduction program (WRAP) to identify ways they can help us, their customers, to reduce the amount of food thrown away".

Commit to a budget- This approach can be very effective. Complying with monthly budget can help you plan your food items correspondingly and slowly you will learn to shop optimum food stuff in your budget.Keeping above points in mind you can surely shop food items and make good savings without compromising on quality.




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