AI wisdom: this is how you save 620 francs with good food

So delig, here I am again, ‘in my old self’, as my philosophy teacher in high school used to say. We certainly weren’t the best of friends, but whatever.

Nowadays the big question is how we manage to eat food instead of throwing it away. Something that increasingly presents us with apparently insurmountable challenges.

You may have already read it in the article 6.5 Mistakes in sustainable eating or elsewhere: Every person in Switzerland throws away 620 francs every year in the form of food that could actually be edible.

So we’re not talking about fish bones and banana peels here.

We are talking about 620 francs that ends up in Güsel’s household alone. In addition, there is food loss in the fields, during transport, in the food industry, in retail and in restaurants. From there to our bin at home, which amounts to a third of all food thrown away.

Now I thought to myself, since AI is currently becoming the mother of all intelligence, I’ll just ask ChatGPT, Bard and Bing Chat what we should do; How on earth can we finally eat the food again instead of throwing it away?

And yes, I am of course aware that chatting with AI takes an enormous amount of energy. That’s why I’m sticking with this experiment and running my heating two degrees lower for the rest of the winter – private compensation, so to speak.

Back to food saving!

So I give all three of them the same task. “Write a list of 10 tips on how to prevent food waste.” The answers come fast as the wind.

Bing Chat (basically something like ChatGPT’s baby) writes: “I’m glad you’re interested in the topic of food waste. Here are 10 tips to prevent food waste.” Bard, on the other hand, answers rather distantly: “10 tips to prevent food waste,” was the introduction. ChatGPT, which is essentially Bing’s matrix, uses a somewhat submissive tone: “Of course! Here are 10 tips on how to prevent food waste.”

When it comes to tips, the three candidates partly overlap. This probably depends on the data set their ‘brains’ are fed.

All three recommend: Plan your meals for the coming days and make a shopping list. Or else: plan your purchases and only buy as much as necessary. Moreover: avoid impulse purchases (Bing Chat).

Bard: “If you go shopping hungry, there is a good chance you will buy too much. So eat something before you go shopping or go shopping on a full stomach.” I don’t know why Bard is calling me. But yes now.

ChatGPT advises me to only buy small quantities of fresh food so that I can use it within a reasonable time.

Bing Chat: “Store fruits and vegetables separately to prevent them from ripening each other faster.” This probably means that certain types of fruit emit the ripening gas ethylene, which causes everything around them to ripen faster. Ethylene producers include apples, pears, bananas, avocados, figs, kiwis, melons, nectarines and a whole list of other fruits. When it comes to vegetables, it is mainly tomatoes (actually also a fruit) that are at the top. Here you will find a detailed article on this topic.

How exactly I should store all the food in the refrigerator remains a secret. Or then Bard figures it out: “Educate yourself about proper food storage.” Cool, thanks for nothing, Bard!

I remember last fall/winter a dispute suddenly broke out because retailers and the federal government disagreed over whether the refrigerator should be set to five or seven degrees because of the impending lack of electricity. The meat packaging says five degrees. Online, seven degrees in the center of the refrigerator is usually recommended. This saves a lot of energy when extrapolated to Switzerland, Europe and the world. The best way to avoid this technical talk is not to refrigerate meat, but instead buy it in advance and use it over the next two or three days. So we are back to the first tips.

Unfortunately, I can’t get an explanation of the difference between the best before date and the best before date. If something has an expiration date, you can use it beyond that. How long? Via the following link you can download a beautiful, sexy, colorful poster from foodwaste.ch and hang it on your refrigerator, for example.

By the way, ‘Use by…’ does not mean that these foods, whether meat, fish, eggs or cheese, will start molding at exactly midnight on that date and that the bacteria will suddenly have a party. Nevertheless, it is recommended to eat such foods before the expiration date, freeze them or throw them away after the expiration date. I guess that’s why ChatGPT advises me: “Check your refrigerator and pantry regularly to identify and throw out expired or spoiled food.”

You Totsch should write: « (…) cook or eat food before it spoils or spoils». Man, ChatGPT, you’re not doing anything!

All three advise me to cook leftover food into something new. ChatGPT and Bing Chat consider soups, casseroles, salads or stir-fries to be a good option. Bing Chat also recommends freezing.

Bard: “You can often use leftovers. There are many recipes for leftover dishes.” Thanks again for nothing!

What Bard would probably mean if he (?) were intelligent: You can have recipes generated from leftover ingredients. For example at Too Good for the Bin or at Restegourmet.

There are several cookbooks for cooking leftovers. For example, About Leftovers and Promotions, Happy Without Leftovers or Enjoying Without Leftovers. Maybe this would be a useful Christmas or birthday gift?

For people who are known for overcooking, or especially for families with children, the simplest solution is often to reheat the leftovers the next day and serve them alongside the newly prepared food. I’m not entirely convinced about the famous leftovers day once a week, because the cooked stuff doesn’t last forever and just isn’t that tasty after five or six days.

On the other hand, it is very stress-relieving if you can use up the delicious leftovers from the weekend on Monday instead of cooking again.

Bard and Bing Chat think I should buy local and seasonal fruits and vegetables. And Bard writes: “It also has a shorter shelf life, so you use it up sooner.”

Bard, joker, I wouldn’t have given you so much humor.

Anyway Bard, you know that’s not the point? Or? Or?!

Just ask Bing Chat, Bard. The person writes: “When you buy food that comes from your region and is currently in season, you support local agriculture and reduce the need for transportation and refrigeration. “In addition, regional and seasonal products often taste better and are healthier.”

Are they healthier? We may discuss this in another article if we get the chance. But what Bing doesn’t realize is that larger quantities of the variety in question are produced during the season. Buying imported stuff when there is almost too much local stuff causes food waste. Therefore, a seasonal calendar on the refrigerator can certainly save food.

The two also advise me against buying imperfect and ugly fruits and vegetables. Bing Chat also recommends stores where I can stock up on these types of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, “SirPlus” and “Querfeld” are located in Germany.

Of course, there are also plenty of food-saving offers in Switzerland. For example at Ugly Fruits, Grassrooted or Good Market. There are also offers for other dishes, such as the Äss-Bar or Madame Frigo. However, we could prevent more food waste if we change something in the system itself, rather than just eating the ‘ugly symptoms’.

«Get involved. If you want to actively do something about food waste, you can join an organization or initiative that is committed to reducing food waste. For example, you can join Foodwaste.ch or Slow Food or start your own campaign.

Educate yourself. Find out more about the topic of food waste and its consequences for the environment, society and the economy. For example, you watch documentaries, read books or listen to podcasts. You can also attend workshops or events to learn more and network with others.

Learn to really appreciate your food. Food is not only products that you consume, but also the result of a lot of work, resources and love. Try to eat consciously and enjoy every bite. Be grateful for what you have and respect the people who produce your food.”

Even though it’s a bit too gschpürsch for my taste, I think the last three sections that Bing Chat so casually throws in are almost there. In my opinion you are addressing the real core of the food waste problem:

Most of us have lost touch with food production. What does instant soup have to do with Hans-Heiri’s field and his work in the field? What is the value of a pear that has been growing on the tree for months, after the tree itself has been growing for several years? Who in Ghana produced the cocoa beans from the comfort food Chübeli with a little ready-made chocolate mousse?

Don’t know!

I am now a member of a community gardening club. I want to create a connection with the food I consume. Even if only to a limited extent.

I have also been trying to buy as much organic food as possible for several years, with the psychological side effect that I appreciate the products more, on the one hand because they are more expensive and on the other hand they usually involve more work.

In the words of Bing Chat: “I hope these tips help you avoid food waste. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. 😊» (Well Bing, I don’t, but be careful: this takes a lot of energy.)

PS: I’ve achieved my goal of having a random cat photographed somewhere on this blog at least once!

And finally, after the conclusion, two useful links:

And finally after the conclusion after the conclusion:

Be careful, write your anti-food waste tips in the comments and eat more fun! In the meantime, I wrap myself in a woolen blanket. See you soon!