This article was written by Amanda Stephenson and was published by the Toronto Star on March 23, 2024.
In 2021, Carleigh Bodrug posted a video online of herself using leftover orange peels, sugar and water to make candy that — in her words — “literally tastes like gummy worms.”
She reminded people that citrus peels are edible and don’t have to be tossed in the garbage, stuck the label “scrappy cooking” on her video and walked away.
The response was electrifying. “I came back an hour later, and that video had been viewed by millions of people,” said the Barrie, Ont., cookbook author and food blogger. “Everybody had struck up this conversation about food waste that previously wasn’t being had. I just thought, ‘Wow.’ ”
That “scrappy” culinary moment appeared to strike a chord with millions of people who were stressed out by rising food prices and evertighter family budgets.
It became the inspiration for Bodrug’s soon-to-be-released second cookbook and inspired her popular social media series where she shares tips such as how to make pesto using the tops of carrots and beets or how to turn potato peels into a delicious crispy snack.
According to a 2021 UN report, the average Canadian household produces 79 kilograms of food waste per year. This refers to food that is thrown out because of issues like improper storage, overbuying, inefficiently used ingredients going bad, and poor planning.
Wasted food has an environmental impact, in that disposed-of organic material in landfills is a source of greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s also, as Bodrug puts it, “literally like throwing money down the drain.”
In Canada, the National Zero Waste Council has estimated that more than a third of food produced and distributed domestically never gets eaten, and that $49 billion worth of food in this country is sent to landfill or composted each year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that a family of four wastes about $1,500 (U.S.) in food annually.
“I polled my audience a couple of weeks ago on what the average family spends on groceries in a week, and it was over $200 (Canadian) in groceries,” said Bodrug, who now has 3.2 million followers on TikTok.
Joshna Maharaj, a Toronto-based chef and activist, said she’s fascinated by the “scrappy cooking” movement. While the trend is obviously rooted in the current cost-of-living crisis, Maharaj said she believes there’s also some nostalgia there for earlier time periods when nearly all cooking was done at home and nothing went to waste.
“People have a longing for being in the kitchen, but we’ve become so disconnected from it over time that we have a fear and anxiety about it,” Maharaj said. “Cooking your food for yourself at home is the most nutritious and economical way for you to eat.”
It’s possible to work toward a fullfledged zero-waste kitchen.
But Maharaj said for most people, developing simple habits like weekly meal planning and regular fridge and pantry cleanouts can significantly reduce the amount of food they throw away.
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