The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-08-31
The FOOD PROBLEM
This Country Pays a Big Price
For Its Reckless Habits.
WANT0N WASTE IN OUR HOMES

Each Year $500, 100000 In Gsod Eat
ables Is Flung Into Garbage Pals or
ls 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 500, 100000 annual waste
of food in homes in the United States.
Seven hundred million dollars is con-
sidered to be q 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 S700O00,0O0 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 leftoyers or
viii 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-
hles into appetlzlng side dishes, and
even a spoonful of cereal Is worth saw
ing as thickener of soups, grayies and
sauces.
Stale bread can be utilized in a va
rfety Of ways In combination with veg
etables and meats and In preparing hot
breads and puddings.
Skimmilk too widely looked down
upon as a food, although it contains
practically all the nourlshing elements
Of whole milk with the exception of
the cream or fat, can be used as bey-
erage in cooking cereals or as q basis
for milk soups or sauces
Sour milk, so largely thrown away,
can be used in making hot breads or ia
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 flavor und 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, il
taken home and used would reduce ex-
penditures for prepared cooking fats.
Many persons regard the saving OF
small amounts of leftover food as IN
important IL 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 spoils quickly be
cause 1t is kept uncovered in warm
kitchens Close observance Of the doc
trine, Keep perishable food, especially
milk. cool, clean and covered contiu.
uously,' may make striking differ
ence in the food bills of many families.
In other cases, one or two vegetables,
hcO4a ~ no rvC4s gpcfor1n mt y1na.1
ed Immediately. are thrown out or al
lowed to spoil instead of being used in
soups or combination dishes. Fruits
which could he stewed and kept are al
lowed to spoil
As to food spoiled by careless cook
ing, many housewives who complain
that children and adults VIII not eat
breakfast cereals fail to realize that
the cereals they serve are undercooked,
scorched or Improperly seasoned and
thus made unpalatabe. 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 po.
tatoes or other vegetables and fruit,
such as apples, cuts off with the skin
a 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