Food waste reduction campaign wants Quebecers to save their veggies

Did you know that nearly half of all food waste happens at home?

That's one of the messages fromAction RE-buts, the organization behindaweek-long food waste reduction campaign that kicked off today with a soup lunch at Jean-Talon Market in Montreal.

Organizers used "disqualified" veggies ones that are blemished or beyond their best-before dateto make a tasty soup and teach families that these "ugly" veggies can still be delicious.

Here's a few tips from Action RE-butsto keep your kitchen waste to a minimum:

Organize your fridge and buy less

It's easy to buy more than you need when you're out grocery shopping sobefore you go out the next time, take stock of your fridge and pantry and make a list of what you're missing. That'll help limit your purchases to items you need.

Take the time to cook

Canadianstossout $27 billion worth of food each year, according to a study published byValue Chain Management. Tons of veggies are thrown into the trash even though they're still good to eatbecause they're ugly or malformed. You can throw your "ugly" veggies into a soup or stew and save them from the garbage.

Freezing is your friend

Freeze your food before it goes badand save it for later. Better yet, make a soup in the fall with freshly harvested veggiesand freeze half of it to enjoy on a cold winter day.