The Problem
Isn’t it crazy to think that you could be laying on your couch and order pretty much any kind of food you want and have it delivered to your front doorstep… without talking to a single person? Just take a second to really think about that.. That’s pretty incredible. It has become such a norm in our society that I think we often take it for granted. Many people are not that fortunate. And now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, even more companies are offering these kinds of contact-free services.
We are living in a time period that has allowed the greatest accessibility to food which is also contributing to the growing problem of food waste. Did you know that we waste enough food to feed 3 billion people each year? And all that wasted food ends up in landfills. Food is the largest contributor to municipal landfill waste which creates methane gas (28 times more potent than carbon dioxide).
Prior to the pandemic, 35 million people in the United States struggled with hunger. Now that number has increased to 55 million (including 17 million children) as million families have been left without stable employment. But how are so many people in America going without food when there is so much being wasted?
Plant-Based Lifestyle
Food waste is something I’ve been trying to be more mindful of lately. We have been fortunate to still have our jobs and working remotely allowing more time to focus on our personal lives. With this time, I have started cooking and experimenting more with vegan dishes. From simple dishes like chopped salads to some more complex dishes like vegan lasagnas and MANY different types of plant-based cheese sauces (a personal goal of mine is to find the perfect vegan cheese replacement).
As I’ve been researching and incorporating more of a plant-based lifestyle, I have also been interested in ways to reduce food waste as a consumer. One of the things I HATE the most about buying produce from stores is all the plastic packaging they are usually wrapped in. Not only do we throw away and waste food.. We are throwing it away in plastic packaging that does not easily decompose and leeches harmful chemicals into the environment.
Produce Boxes
After a couple of days of internet searching, I found a service that I absolutely LOVE.. Misfit Markets. They are a company who is dedicated to eliminating food waste by saving high-quality produce from landfills deemed unfit by commercial grocery stores. Isn’t that crazy? To throw away a perfectly good apple because it’s too small or too big? Misfit Market saves those apples and many other fruits and vegetables and packages it in recyclable, zero-plastic packaging in customizable boxes.
Below are some examples of the BEAUTIFUL produce I receive in my weekly boxes. Big, beautiful fruits and veggies with NO PLASTIC PACKAGING. How amazing?! Their produce is also all organic which means they source from farms that do not use synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. My boxes are typically $30 each including shipping fees. What a steal!
You can customize what goes in it and how often it comes to your doorstep (e.g. weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc). If you need to skip a week or two, no problem! Another amazing option is the ability to donate your box to a food shelter if you don’t need it or aren’t going to be home that week.
I feel so good about ordering produce from this company. I’m being more mindful about the food I order, the quality, and reducing my organic and plastic waste. If this is something you’ve been struggling with and not sure where to start, I highly suggest trying this company out.
Hope you found this useful. Stay warm, healthy, and positive out there!