The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-07-24
THE FOOD PROBLEM
This Country Pays a Big Price
For Its Reckless Habits.
WAMT0N WASTE IN OUR HOMES

Each Year s7oo,ooo,ooo In Good Eat
abIes Is Flung Into Garbage Pals or
Is Destroyed In Cooking or Allowed
to Spoil.
Good food heedlessly thrown into
garbage pals. food allowed to spoil in
the household, food ruined by improp-
er cooking and food destroyed by rats,
mice and insects constitute the heavy
items in the s7OO,OO0,O00 annual waste
Of food In homes in the United States.
Seven hundred million dollars is con-
sidered to be conservative figure by
the secretary Of agriculture In house
hold waste, Of course, are not included
the vast losses Of food allowed under
improper handling or insufficient mar
keting methods to spoil In transit or
IN the hands of producers or dealers.
Much Of this $70O.O00,OO0 household
waste Of food, the dietary specialists
Of the department declare, is easily
preventable. This preventable waste
consists in large part Of the following
items:
Edible food thrown into the garbage
pail or into the kitchen sink. Much
of the food Is thrown out, the special
lists say, because so many people do
not know how to utilize leftovers or
will not take the trouble to Keep and
prepare them The specialists point
out:
Leftover cereals can be reheated or
combined with fruits, meats or vegeta-
bles into appetizing side dishes, and
even a spoonful Of cereal Is worth saw
ing as thickener of soups, gravies and
sauces.
Stale bread can be- utilized In a va
riety of ways in combination with veg
etables and meats and in preparing hot
breads and buildings.
Skimmilk, too widely looked down
upon as a food, although 1t contains
practically all the nourishing elements
Of whole milk with the exception Of
the cream or fat, can be used as bey-
erage In cooking cereals or as basis
for milk soups or sauces.
Sour milk, 80 largely thrown away,
can be used In making hot breads or In
the home manufacture Of cottage
cheese.
Every scrap Of meat or fish can be
combined with cereals or other foods
lacking in pronounced flavor, both to
give favor and to add nourishment to
made over dishes. Every bit of fat or
suet trimmed from meat before cooking
or tried out in boiling, roasting or broil-
ing can be made useful In cooking
Many butchers, after they have weighed
meat and named the price for the cut,
trim off valuable suet and fat. This
fat, which the housewife pays for, II
taken home and used, would reduce ex-
penditures for prepared cooking fats.
Many persons regard the saving Of
small amounts Of leftover food as I'M
important. If they kept accurate ac-
count, however, the specialists say,
many families would be astounded by
the amount of good food they are
throwing out.
Next comes the spoilage of food due
to careless handling and storing In the
home. Much milk spells quickly be-
cause It Is kept uncovered in warm
kitchens. Close observance Of the doc
trine, Keep perishable food. especially
milk, cool, clean and covered contin-
uously," may make q striking differ
ence In the food bills Of many families.
In other cases, one or two vegetables,
beets or carrots, for instance, not need
ed Immediately, are thrown out or al
lowed to spoil instead Of being used in
soups or combination dishes. Fruits
which could be stewed and kept are al
lowed to spoil.
As to food spoiled by careless cook
ing, many housewives who complain
that children and adults will not eat
breakfast cereals fail to realize that
the cereals they serve are undercooked,
scorched or improperly seasoned and
thus made unpalatable. Most Of the
cheaper foods require careful season
ing and preparation to be fully appetiZ-
ing.
Waste In preparation is cited. Much
useful food gets into the garbage pail
because the housewife In preparing pc.
tatoes or other vegetables and fruit.
such as apples, cuts of with the skin
q considerable percentage of edible ma
teriaL
Many persons are unaware that the
green and tender tops Of many vegeta-
bles, which contain valuable mineral
and other food substances, are excel
lent cooked as green's or even as addi-
lions to salads.
The over generous serving of food
Is held responsible for waste. Many
families take pride In serving lavish
and overbountiful meals. Such meals
lead not only to waste Of food on the
table, but to overeating, which often
inpairs health and efficiency.
The sane standard, Eat enough food
and no more" rigidly followed, would
reduce greatly food bills In many homes
and at the same time tend to improve
the physical condition of all members
of the household States De-
partment Of Agriculture Bulletin.