Andrew Zimmern, celebrity chef and star of the hit Discovery Network series, “Bizarre Foods,” has partnered with the beloved grocery retailer, Aldi, for a campaign intended to educate consumers on how to minimize their food waste at home.
Since April 28 was International Stop Food Waste Day, Zimmern partnered for an Instagram Live with the retail giant to share practical steps that people can take to develop a zero waste lifestyle, both on the green holiday and beyond—plus, how consumers can lean into Aldi’s unique product offerings to better ease into this transition.
Zimmern has been a consistent voice in highlighting the problems that arise when we don’t properly address food waste.
“It’s impossible to separate the climate crisis, food waste, hunger, and health and wellness. In America, it’s an ecosystem and there’s about seven to 12 other pillars that are affected by it,” Zimmern told Green Living exclusively. “The more meat that we eat, the more pressure that we put on factory farms, and the worse our soil and water gets. It all exacerbates immigration problems, it increases our risk for food-related diseases, and when we waste food or don’t address hunger issues, we increase our reliance on processed foods which all contribute to the four big health related diseases that we spend about a trillion and a half dollars a year fighting.”
Food waste is one of the most complex and daunting issues within the United States today. In fact, around 30-40% of the food supply in the United States becomes waste, equalling nearly 220 pounds of wasted food per person annually.
During Zimmern’s Instagram Live event, he reviewed 7 exclusive tips that he recommends for how to begin reducing food waste at home, including: seeking out businesses like Aldi that address climate crisis issues; reducing fridge space; eating sustainably—specifically, consuming more beans and vegetables is a solution to reducing waste; thinking before you toss out food; creating a shopping list; tracking your trash; and swapping out plastic for reusable storage and wrapping containers.
Outside of these tips, Zimmern also told Green Living two additional steps that he encourages people within his circle to take when they begin their journey to minimizing food waste.
“I have been telling my friends for 10 years, if they want to reduce waste in their homes, the perfect starting point is to do two things. One, take out a shelf and a drawer in their refrigerator and shrink the storage size of your refrigerator by a third, so that you don’t have room to fill it with food,” says Zimmern. “And then the second thing is … to keep a diary of everything you throw away. Even if you’re throwing away the leftovers or items that have gotten freezer burn in your freezer, write it all down. Eventually, you’ll start to see a pattern, and you’ll understand the ways in which food waste plays out in your own home.”
Recently, Aldi also announced that it would be donating $100,000 to Feeding America’s Food Recovery program. While the grocery retailer is a regular donator to the organization, their consistent philanthropic gestures both impressed and encouraged Zimmern to partner with the brand.
“I haven’t found very many companies, let alone companies in the big food space, that are willing to make food waste such a huge piece of their corporate policymaking. I mean, even to commit to reducing food waste by half by 2030 is incredible.”
For more information on Aldi and the brand’s sustainability efforts, visit www.corporate.aldi.us. For more information on Chef Andrew Zimmern and his work or partnerships, visit www.andrewzimmern.com.
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