Against food waste

Why buying too much can be a good thing

Too much bread and other food ends up in the bin.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/viennaslide)

On average, every household in Upper Austria throws away eleven kilos of bread per year - the recently published "Krone" article on this topic has caused quite a stir. But what can you do to avoid food waste? Sometimes it can even help if you buy more than you need.

According to reports, 7,300 tons of bread and pastries are thrown away in Upper Austria every year according to Michaela Langer-Weninger (ÖVP), the state councillor for agriculture - an average of eleven kilograms per household. The online article on krone.at is hotly debated in hundreds of comments.

"Distribution to the needy"
While some doubt the figures, other Krone readers suggest solutions: "Mandatory handover to the needy, otherwise a heavy fine!", demands one user, for example. Others recommend freezing bread and pastries or turning them into breadcrumbs or bread soup.

Donations for social markets
For Langer-Weninger, the cause of food waste is that we buy too much: "It's worth taking a critical look at our consumption." But sometimes it can even help if you buy more than you need. Last Friday, for example, volunteers in Upper Austria called on supermarket customers to buy "a bit more" and donate this food to the 23 Red Cross markets in the region. Socially disadvantaged people can shop there - according to the Red Cross, this was the case 90,000 times last year.

Volkshilfe, which also runs social markets, would also be grateful for more donations - especially oil, flour and pasta. Because they receive less food from supermarkets than before, they have had to buy in and ration food for the past two years, says a spokesperson.