Managing food during the crisis

Well, things have taken on a rather serious turn. Covid 19 has finally found its way to the capital Male’ where too many people live in too tiny a space, and with the lockdown in place, grocery delivery services are still having trouble getting goods to people’s homes. So, with all that going on, we can certainly be a bit mindful about how we prepare and consume our food. After all, now’s the time for cutting down on waste and making do with what we have. So, with that in mind below are a few tips on how we can manage food during this crisis.

Make a plan

Good food management starts with a plan. So make one for a whole week. Make a list of simple meals that you can prepare easily and assign them to the days of the week. When assigning meals to days make sure you are using your ingredients efficiently. For example, if you have some carrots and are using them on one of the days to make a stir fry, make sure you use them for a curry or a fried rice during the week too. This is to make sure that perishables don’t perish while sitting idly in the fridge. And while on the topic of perishables, do consider including some non-perishable alternatives. For example, consider using some frozen or canned vegetables instead of fresh ones, and making use of canned beans, chickpeas and tuna. Also, if your use of milk is not that extensive, perhaps opting for powder milks instead of milk cartons could help with reducing wastage.

Make a grocery list

Once you have decided on the meals, make a list of the ingredients you’ll need for each, and using that come up with a good grocery list. And while you are at it, make a copy of the list so that you don’t have to make one for every week.

Get your groceries

Now that you’ve made the plan and list, the next obvious step is getting your groceries. Before you get on with it just do a quick check up on the latest instructions from the relevant authorities so that your actions can be in compliance. Also please don’t hoard stuff; just buy enough to last you for a week, two at most.

Learn to improvise

And finally, however good a plan we have, from time to time, things have a tendency of going astray from the carefully laid out path. You’ll eventually run out of something you need. You’ll forget something. You won’t be able to get hold of something. So learn to improvise and go with the flow. Most of us have access to the internet, so make use of Google, and ask for substitutes. The next time you are out of say baking powder, eggs or limes, ask Google what you can use instead.

Also, read up on our Food Safety Tips