Why we need to re-think our relationship with food

Australians need to re-think their behaviour when it comes to wasting food, a leading expert says.

Entertainment, parties and eating out are all in vogue as we approach the holiday season, but more mindfulness is needed to avoid edible leftovers being binned.

“We all like to cook, buy and take large amounts of food in this festive season, both as hosts and guests and many people think it is better to have too much food than not enough," says Dr Bhavna Middha, Research Fellow, College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University.

“But our shared practices need to be put under scrutiny, as they can often lead to extravagant food waste.

“Food waste is an endemic issue in Australia. A total of 7.3 million tonnes of food are wasted in Australia per year, which has significant environmental consequences.

“Reducing food waste could save the average family between $2,200 to $3,800 per year.

“But merely informing householders about food waste is not an adequate strategy to bring about change in everyday routines and activities.

“Here’s where we can start to improve our contribution to food waste:
# Stop over-catering: we need to rethink how much food we supply and to accept that the food should be finished or suitably distributed by the end of events.
# Limit bulk-buying: structural issues such as price gouging by supermarkets as well as how everyday convenience is constructed through bulk buying needs to be investigated to determine how bulk buying is reduced beyond special times.
#Understand food longevity: we need a better understanding of what kind of food ages well or badly in storage and use foods before they reach their recommended best before dates.

“Additionally, many of us don’t particularly know how long to keep leftovers in the fridge if we do want to save them for later.

“Our research found that 17% of fridges in Australian households were too cold or too warm for food storage. This means that the food we buy and store, fresh or leftover, is prone to wastage, especially if the fridge is inefficient.

“These findings point to larger questions of relationships between food provisioning, eating and refrigerators and how these (mis)connections may be contributing to global food waste.”

Bhavna Middha's research focuses on exploring everyday shared practices around food, waste and energy in the context of sustainable consumption.

Image: Bernardo Dadic, Scop.io 

Fancy taking over the whole top floor of a luxury hotel?

How about inviting 35 of your nearest and dearest and taking over the entire top floor of one of Melbourne's most exclusive hotels?

Pullman Melbourne on the Park has just unveiled its ultimate luxe accommodation offering, where groups can book the hotel's entire top floor, which includes the luxurious William Clarke Sky Villa.

But get out your black American Express card. The package will cost you a cool $20,000 per night.

With accommodation for up to 36 people, the experience includes 18 rooms (WCSV, three suites and 14 deluxe executive rooms), an all-day beverage package, continental breakfast, lunch, evening canapes and drinks and valet parking for up to 18 vehicles.

Party time!

The experience has been designed with large groups in mind, ideal for attending sports events and concerts.

 


General manager Stephan Leroy is confident that the offering has the potential to attract a variety of audiences.

“There aren't too many experiences like the 19th floor buy out in Melbourne and we are happy to be among the first hotels to offer this to consumers,” he said.

“The experience is perfect for bridal parties, groups travelling for business or pleasure and even corporates looking to treat staff in the lead up to the festive season.”

At the centre of the offering is the hotel's penthouse, the William Clarke Sky Villa, valued at $5,000 per night.

All food and beverage is prepared and served directly from the hotel's Cliveden Bar & Dining restaurant.

Pullman Melbourne on the Park is located in Melbourne's sports and entertainment precinct and is just a short stroll from the CBD.

Bookings for the ultimate luxe accommodation experience can be made by contacting the hotel directly.

Will you pop a cork on Global Champagne Day?

Are you ready to toast Global Champagne Day?

Lovers of sparkling wine celebrate every year on the fourth Friday in October. This year that means October 28.

There are dozens of events happening across Australia - and many more around the world, to pay tribute to the world's favourite bubbles.

Options range from Champagne Day at Opera Bay in Sydney, to a Champagne dinner at The Shorehouse in Swanbourne, Western Australia, to Dinner at The Apartment in Melbourne with Champagne Pommery or Champagne and Oysters at the Mayfair Hotel in Adelaide.   

The Champagne Bureau Australia is counting down to Champagne Day and is encouraging wine lovers to set up their own events if they don't fancy attending a restaurant or bar.

Here is a list of events: https://champagneday.champagne.fr/events/

I'll have a can of fine rosé wine please

 

Dan Sims knows everyone who is anyone in the wine industry. 

The wine marketer's activities may have been stymied by Covid-19 - he's the guy behind Pinot Palooza, Revel Marketing and many funky events - but he is not one to stand still. 

Today he launched his side hustle: Good Time Wines featuring wines in 150ml cans. 

They have a catchy slogan, too (look away under 12s): "We believe in less wine wank and more wine drank."

The wines are a white, a red and a rosé made by winemakers of serious repute and described as a "palate-pleasing posse" of Gippsland white (Moondarra), Mornington Peninsula rosé (Garagiste) and Adelaide Hills red (BK Wines).

A party pack of 12 x 150ml cans costs $75. And no, I haven't tried them yet. They were only released today. In Melbourne.

See 

https://goodtimewines.com/