Roberta, Peter and Phyllis lived in a large house in London. Father worked hard in a government office. He was never angry and always ready for a game. Mother was almost at home, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them do their home—lessons.

These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely playroom and a dog called James. They had a happy life, but they did not know how happy till the pretty life in the large house was over.

Peter had a toy engine and it broke. After dinner, Peter showed Father the engine. Father looked it over and promised to do it on Saturday.

At that moment two men came to see Father. Minutes passed. Father’s voice came out from the study, loud and angry.

More time passed. Then Mother came in and said, “Father’s been called away— on business.”

A week after their father went away, their mother said, “Now, we’re going to move to the country. A pretty little white house, called Three Chimneys. ”

The family started packing: clothes, plates, candles and also tables and chairs. “We seem to be taking all the ugly things,” said Roberta.

“We’re taking the useful ones,” said Mother. “We’ve got to play at being poor for a bit.”

Peter said joyously, “I do like moving! I wish we moved once a month.” Mother laughed and said, “I don’t like moving!”

As she turned away, Roberta saw her face. She never forgot it.

“Oh, Mother,” she whispered, “how I love you! You are brave enough to laugh when you’re feeling like that! ”

Then they took a train to Three Chimneys. No one knew how long they had been in the train when Mother woke them up.

They stood in the cold night air on the dark platform. At that moment they didn’t know how important the station and the trains would become to them. They didn’t know they were going to be the railway children.

— Taken from The Railway Children

About 50 percent of food in the US is wasted. Wasted food produces gas that will cause global warming, and brings other problems like energy emergency. To reduce food waste, people in the food packaging industry are working to develop products for longer shelf life.

Jonathan Deutsch, a professor of food science, says, “All food packaging is designed to explain the contents, protect the quality, and make sure the safety of the product. “When packaging keeps food safe and fresh for a longer time, less waste happens.

Making food last longer is not easy because different foods need different packaging. Fats, for example, change when meeting air and light. That’s why fatty foods, like potato chips, are always kept in packages which light can’t get through. And cookies are afraid of getting wet. Keeping those snacks in a fully closed package will help them stay fresh and tasty longer.

Packaging can extend shelf life by keeping out gases in the air, like oxygen*. Oxygen causes problems for many different foods. So many food packages are designed to solve the air problem. Vacuum-sealed packaging takes off any oxygen between the food and packaging, which can increase shelf life from a few days to a few weeks. Modified atmosphere packaging is another solution. Unlike vacuum-sealed packaging, which takes off as much air as possible, this packaging replaces the air with a right mixture of gases. Red meat needs some oxygen to keep its colour, but too much oxygen can make it go bad. This kind of packaging can extend shelf life while keeping the product’s colour.

While packaging can help reduce food waste, people also need to consider the environmental influence of the packaging itself. Scientists are working to develop more proper materials. And more people get to know the importance of reducing food waste. “Unlike many of the challenges we face right now on our planet,” said Shukla from Food & Wine magazine, “Food waste is something that every single person can do something about.”