Wasted Ambition: Why We Buy Food We Never Use
December 11th, 2008
A weekly column about the psychology of food and cooking.
In an economic climate where everyone is obsessing about how to shop smarter, do more with less and generally learn how to modify our learned habit of overconsumption and waste, a study about grocery shopping psychology by the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab provided an interesting take on why Americans habitually buy food they never use.
“Advertising and bulk buying is often suggested as prime contributors to why consumers buy grocery items they never use,” the study says. “In-home pantry checks of 420 American households show that unused products were not bought because of sales, ads, coupons, or impulsivity. They were bought for recipes that were never made, or for special occasions that never occurred.”
We buy too much, the authors conclude, because we are “over-optimistic” and end up with specialized ingredients like “canned quail eggs” or “grass jelly” orphaned in cupboards, “souvenirs of unfulfilled plans.”
This made us as sad as watching Mary Tyler Moore throw a party to which nobody came.
“The consumers had visualized a use for the product that quite simply never materialized,” said Dr. Brian Wansink, lead author and Director of the Food and Brand Lab. To combat food waste in the home, Wansink suggests regularly rotating products from the back of the shelf to the front; making new plans for abandoned products; disposing of expired products; and donating non-expired unused products to a local food bank.
Do you buy things that languish in the pantry? What are your strategies for making sure that the food you buy doesn’t go to waste?
December 11th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I occasionally let items get too close to their expiration date because I’m saving them “for something special”. I don’t know why I do that. It’s just a quirk of mine.
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My new year’s resolution is if I purchase something special, I’m making plans to use it within a short time period. Actually, I’ve already started. Now what to do with that tapenade……
December 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
CJ,
Make this salad: http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/10058/Sliced_Mozzarella_With_Black_Olive_Tapenade
Or use leftover tapenade to top toast or pan-roasted fish or meats, or as a dip for raw or blanched vegetables.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I’m so guilty of doing this!!! Sometimes I buy produce and it sits in my fridge and then I throw it away. Or sometimes I cook something and have leftovers and don’t feel like eating them: they sit in the fridge for several days and then go into the trash.
But I’m trying to be better.
I think it’s actually related to buying a sweater, having the intentions of wearing it and then donating it 2 years later.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Kristin-
Oh baby- that’s the ticket.
I was going to thin it with some olive oil and spread it over some over chicken breasts. Or toss it with some pasta.
Sometimes I just spread a little on a sandwich or as you suggested, dip vegetables.
I’ve even been known to stir it into or spread over some cream cheese for a simple spread.
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Olga- the produce thing–it does get me once in a while. I’ve still got some daikon radishes from my last CSA deivery. But I found a recipe I’m going to try for pickling chunks of them with a soy sauce based brine. If it’s good, I’ll share the recipe.
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Leftovers? They get converted into something else in this house. The hub and son still laugh about how many different things a base meal can be converted into. (And they LIKE it). ;o)
January 8th, 2009 at 1:07 am
I love a hot lunch almost as much as I love cooking dinner - so I devour leftovers with relish, often the very next day.