IN BREVE
- Two out of three Italians consider the ritual of leftovers important for reducing food waste during the holidays.
- 84% of families will reuse unconsumed food between Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day.
- Solutions proposed by Campagna Amica chefs include recipes for reusing leftover meat, fish, and mashed potatoes.
- Food recovery helps preserve culinary traditions and also benefits the household economy and the environment.
- Despite growing awareness, each Italian continues to waste approximately 556 grams of food per week, with fruit and vegetables topping the waste list.
With nearly two out of three Italians considering it very important to reduce food waste, especially during the holidays, St. Stephen’s Day brings back the traditional “ritual” of leftovers. According to a Coldiretti/Ixè survey, 84% of families will bring back to the table what was not consumed during the previous two days, between Christmas Eve and Christmas lunch.
MORE ATTENTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT DURING THE HOLIDAYS
The research highlights how environmental awareness increases precisely during the Christmas period, when the risk of waste also grows due to more abundant preparations, linked to conviviality and holiday traditions. Not surprisingly, only 9% of households managed to fully consume the food prepared.
The shared goal remains to avoid throwing away ready-made dishes that, according to a Coldiretti estimate, have a total value of approximately half a billion euros.
FARMER RECIPES FOR REUSING LEFTOVERS
This year too, there’s no shortage of suggestions from Campagna Amica’s farmer chefs, who propose practical and sustainable solutions to give new life to leftovers. Meats such as boiled or roasted can be reused to prepare a quick ragù or to fill gourmet sandwiches. Already cooked fish lends itself to becoming the base for meatballs or warm salads with vegetables. While leftover mashed potatoes can transform into croquettes or a baked pie with grated cheese.
Even stale bread finds new use, from bruschetta to canederli to sweet puddings. Mixed cheeses become ideal ingredients for savory pies. Pandoro, panettone, and dry biscuits can be reused as a base for spoon desserts or tiramisu variations.
THE ST. STEPHEN’S DAY LEFTOVER RITUAL: SAVINGS AND SUSTAINABILITY
These practices, Coldiretti emphasizes, represent not only an effective solution against food waste, but also contribute to preserving culinary traditions of the past, rediscovering widespread customs that gave rise to iconic dishes of local food and wine culture. Recovering food also benefits the household economy and the environment, thanks to waste reduction.
FOOD WASTE: THE DATA
Despite greater attention, food waste remains a significant problem. According to a Coldiretti analysis of Waste Watcher International data, each Italian throws away an average of 556 grams of food per week. Fruit and vegetables weigh the most. In the ranking of most wasted products, fresh fruit comes first, followed by vegetables, fresh bread, salads, and finally, onions, garlic, and tubers.
