Foodwaste at a kid’s birthday party
Hand on heart: How often are you torn between healthy snacks and soul food while planning food for the kids’ party? Cake, chocolate, chips, gummy worms, sausages – the kids love them! What’s “missing” from the list? Fruit plates, vegetable sticks, cucumber crocodiles, monsters made of apple slices and banana pieces. Healthy eating vs. binge-eating: at the party, you’d like to avoid the discussion about chocolate or apple with the kids. A compromise is needed: candy bar & junk food. And both in excess, so that no one starves within 3 hours of party time. Who knows it?
At the end of the party, experience has taught us that most of the food ends up in the garbage disposal: there was just too much of it, and the kids didn’t feel like eating the healthy option anyway when there are chips to snack on as an alternative. Nobody has a Tupperware box with them, neither do they have foil, and after a exhausting party you honestly don’t feel like packing everything up again. It makes your heart bleed when untouched plates of food and whole pieces of cake end up in the trash container.
Years of party experience have shown that you can make a valuable contribution to preventing food waste after your party with these tips:
Plan the amount of food based on the number of guests. And remember, just because you’re getting together for a party doesn’t mean you’ll eat twice as much. Especially the adults usually eat a maximum of one piece of cake
Pack Tupperware or foil or keep-fresh bags for any leftovers.
Don’t open all the chip bags at once! The little party tigers eat chips and co. again and again in between. But there doesn’t always have to be 10 different types of snacks on the table at the same time. Only refill when the bowl is empty. This way you avoid numerous open bags, which are difficult to take home without completely spilling everything out.
Very few children reach for vegetable sticks when there are chips and chocolate next to them. A small plate with the birthday boy or girl’s favorite fruit is fine, but not huge fruit and vegetable platters.
You can turn leftover fruit into a delicious, vitamin-rich smoothie the next day. Simply blend with some freshly squeezed orange juice, milk or yogurt and voilá – a delicious breakfast for the morning after the party is ready.
You couldn’t leave the vegetable sticks at home? No problem – cut them into small pieces and make a tasty pasta salad the next day.
If the ordered pizza is left over, you can easily take it with you wrapped in foil. The kids will be really hungry when they get home at the latest. Heated in the microwave or the oven, the pizza is quickly warm again and you do not have to worry about the right food after the party at home.
Schnitzerl and fries are very popular at any party. Reheating leftover fries at home – let’s be honest: that doesn’t taste good. That’ s why you should always order fewer portions of fries than there are children at the table. The little ones usually can’t manage a whole portion, because they eat a lot of other things as well. Schnitzel can be heated up at home or enjoyed cold, e.g. in a bun with some lettuce or tomatoes as a Schnitzel bun.
Many guests are happy when they have a piece of cake for siblings or even the other parent to take along. Packed in aluminum foil, the leftovers are quickly divided among your guests and nothing ends up in the trash.
Our conclusion
The kids usually don’t have time to eat on party day. Playing, romping, presents and so many impressions are in the spotlight. Already at home while planning the party, choose quantities wisely and prepare for the sharing and dealing with leftovers with Tupperware, foil, etc.