Apples are attractive and healthy snacks!
Isn’t it refreshing to see young children rush to a bowl of beautiful apples and grab a healthy snack?
While attending a children’s book conference, my husband and I waited to check in to our room. I plopped my computer bag and luggage into a chair and marched to the closest coffee shop for two lattes to-go. I held the door open for a mother and three small children.
The three children rushed to a bowl of beautiful apples and excitedly chose an apple for their snack. Mom shrieked, “no… those have bruises. You need to find a perfect apple.”
There’s a difference between a bruised apple and a compostable apple
My husband described this scene to me when I returned.
As a food rescuer, my first thought was, “just eat around the bruised part!” My mind jumped to the hundreds of pounds of bruised apples that our organization receives and then transforms into applesauce or apple crumble for our recipients.
An apple that should not be eaten is one that does not smell like a yummy delicious apple should. It may be browned and mushy and moldy.
I can attest that the apples in this bowl had tiny bruises, probably from handling and stacking.
One change can help reduce food waste.
What if Mom said, “What really matters is that the apple still tastes great…we don’t have to waste it because of a little bruise. Wash it off and enjoy!”
It is important to understand that food waste and food insecurity exist in our communities.
In this country, 30-40% of the food supply is wasted. In households, about 103 millions tons of food is wasted annually with much of this food ending up in landfills. Food waste is a major contributor to methane emissions in landfills, which contributes to climate change. All this waste – yet millions of Americans struggle with food insecurity.
Just eat around the bruise.
