Get Rid of Wastes for Good: Placid Nutrition Centre Joins World Zero Waste Day Celebrations at United Nations Office at Nairobi UNEP-WCMC UN-HABITAT Youth Office of the Director General, UNON

• April 13, 2025
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Placid Nutrition Centre got in World Zero Waste Day celebrations at the United Nations Office at Nairobi UNEP-WCMC UN-Habitat Youth Office of the Director General, UNON , where we joined other stakeholders advocating for sustainable solutions to global waste challenges.

Much of the discussion touched base on textile waste, sticking to the UNEP World Waste Day 2025 theme.
Important to note as well, food is a big contributor of waste.

𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆-𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 — 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔. 𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 whilst wastage happen.

How then can you mitigate food waste in your local setup?
Below are few tips you need to explore:

1. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬: repurpose excess food creatively, such as turning leftover rice and vegetables into flavourful fried rice, or blending overripe fruits into nutritious smoothies.
2. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: Embrace smart shopping and meal preparation to ensure food is consumed before it spoils. A nutritionist can offer guidance on meal planning and prepping.
3. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬: Depending on your setup, you can explore traditional and modern techniques like pickling, freezing, and drying to extend the life of food.
4. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞: Food waste can be utilized in your kitchen garden by turning it into compost to enrich soil and reduce landfill waste.
5. 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: It is vital to understand food labelling (e.g., “best before” vs. “use by”) to reduce unnecessary disposal of still-edible food.
6. 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡: When you go out, order just enough or ask for smaller portions, request more if not satisfied. Oh, does this work often, I doubt. Please ask the waiter to wrap your food and finish it later.

Here is what you need to know about “Use by” and “Best before”,

Use by” dates indicate food safety and are a deadline for consumption, while “best before” dates relate to food quality and indicate when a product is at its peak freshness, but food is still safe to eat after that date. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

“Use By” Date:

• Indicates the last recommended date for safe consumption. 
  • Food should not be consumed after this date as it may pose a health risk. 
  • Often used for perishable items like meat, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals. 
  • Food Standards Agency states that after the use by date, food can no longer be sold and should not be eaten. 

“Best Before” Date:

• Indicates when a food product is at its peak quality, but the food is still safe to eat after that date. 
  • After the “best before” date, the food may lose some of its freshness, flavor, or texture, but it’s still safe to consume if stored properly. 
  • Often used for items like dry goods, canned goods, and packaged snacks. 
  • Food Standards Agency states that after the best before date, food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best quality.

Key Differences:

• Safety vs. Quality: “Use by” is about safety, while “best before” is about quality. 
• Deadline vs. Guideline: “Use by” is a deadline, while “best before” is a guideline. 
• Perishable vs. Non-Perishable: “Use by” is more common on highly perishable foods, while “best before” is more common on items with longer shelf lives

Our commitment to promoting healthy eating, and conscious and sustainable food habits remains strong. We help you make better meal planning decisions within your budgets, educate you of food preservation principles and better social habits that will help you cut food wastes.

The World Zero Waste Day is a reminder: 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭.