The considered cook: ‘The start of eradicating food waste comes down to being more organised in the home’

In the fifth episode of Irish Tatler’s new sustainable lifestyle podcast Consciously Craving, sustainability strategist Pat Kane (@iampatkane) is joined by the culinary director of FoodSpace Ireland, Conor Spacey, to take a deep-dive into cooking and caring for the planet.

At the centre of their discussion is a shameful figure: more than one quarter of the food produced globally is wasted, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This makes food waste a significant contributor to climate change, with food loss and waste making up eight to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

So what climate actions can be taken? Spacey, who is also a chef, author, activist, and in his own words, “always working towards a more sustainable food future”, says “start with small wins,” which is his beginner-friendly mantra for those who want to make a considered effort to reduce their food waste at home.

But what does that look like in practice? According to Spacey, it starts with stripping back your shopping list and home organisation:

“Domestically, we can really get involved through reconnecting with our food. A few generations ago, food was a centrepiece in the home..families would sit at the dinner table every evening and it was their opportunity to connect with each other, and it was a celebration of food,” Spacey says.

“We’ve since lost that connection because we’re time poor now, but we can all work to become more organised to make this happen – for me, the start of eradicating food waste comes down to being more organised in the home,” he added.

“Sitting down at the end of each week to plan ahead – think about how many evenings you’re actually at home, if your children get lunch in school or if you need to prepare it, or if you’ll have leftovers from a Sunday roast that can be used for the following week and knocked off your shopping list.”

To discover more accessible tips from Spacey about how you can reduce your food waste, listen to the episode below now.

Consciously Craving is an eight-episode podcast hosted by sustainability strategist Pat Kane. With a new episode launching every week, find episodes one to five now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.