India, with a population of over 1.34 billion, has seen tremendous growth in its GDP and per capita consumption in the past two decades. However, despite the phenomenal industrial and economic growth, while India produces sufficient food to feed its population, it is unable to provide access to food to a large number of people. Our country continues to have serious levels of widespread hunger which puts us on a global ranking of 97 among 118 developing countries for which the Global Hunger Index (GHI) was calculated last year. (source: TOI)

In India almost every family is wasting food on daily basis. There is a need to understand and spread awareness about saving food if we have to find solution to this problem. Nevertheless, it should be our endeavour to create consciousness among consumers on how to preserve and increase the shelf life of food using good quality conservation products in dry storage and refrigerator. One more important element to Care For Food is leftover makeover and reutilizing edible food in as many options available.

Enclosed are a few tips that one can keep handy and use in daily routine to save food:

  • Buy It Right – Planning your kitchen in advance goes a long way. Make check lists, buy in the right quantity and only what you need. Also, displaying food neatly in transparent/ translucent containers would show you just the right quantities of food that you have and how much more you need. 
  • Increase The Shelf Life – Fresh fruits and vegetables should be stored in the right containers to increase their shelf life.
  • Store Right – Always store food in the right container to keep it safe from moisture and pests
  • Cook With Care – Cook smaller quantities of food and avoid wastage. Use less oil and try to retain the natural flavour and nutrients.
  • Serve Just Enough – Serve just enough to meet the person’s consumption needs. Always make sure that wastage is minimum.
  • Manage Leftovers & Leftover Makeovers – Always store leftovers properly. Be creative and make innovative recipes using everyday leftovers.

    You can transform your everyday leftovers into delicious treats with these recipes:

     
    Dal Chawal Arancini  

    Ingredients

    1 Cup leftover dal 

    1 Cup leftover rice

    1 Green chilly (chopped)

    1 Cup coriander (chopped)

    Bread crumbs

    5 tbsp Corn flour

    ½ Cup water

    Oil for frying

    Method

    • Mix leftover dal, rice, chopped coriander and chopped green chillies in a Bowl

    • Use wet hands to form the mixture into golf ball sized balls

    • Mix corn flour and water together to make a thin coating paste

    • Dip the dal chawal ball in the paste and then coat it with bread crumbs

    • Repeat this process twice for each dal chawal ball

    • Heat oil in a Frying Pan and deep fry the dal chawal arancini, drain on a kitchen towel and serve

    • Serve with chutney/tomato ketchup/pickle etc.

    Upma Cutlets

    Ingredients

    1 Cup Upma

    2-3 tbsp All-purpose flour (Maida) 

    1 tsp Garam masala powder

    2 tbsp Refined oil

    Method

    • Using a Bowl mix leftover Upma, garam masala powder and maida

    • Portion out the mixture, make medium sized cutlets and keep aside

    • Heat oil in Inspire Series Frying Pan and gently pan fry the Upma cutlets till golden brown

    • Serve hot with chutney or dip of your choice

    So come forward and take a pledge today to make your move against food wastage.