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How to Reduce Food Waste
How to Reduce Food Waste
In the United States alone, 40 percent of food ends up in a landfill every year. That's almost 400 pounds of food thrown away per person annually.
In order to reduce waste, we can adopt better food management practices such as:
Understanding date labels
Knowing how much food to buy
Properly storing food
Understanding Date Labels:
Understanding Date Labels:
About 80 percent of consumers prematurely discard food due to date label confusion. In truth, food expiration dates have more to do with the quality of the food rather than the safe consumption of it. The labels are the manufacturer's best estimate of when the product is at its "best". Many foods will be safe to eat days, weeks, or even months after the printed dates.
Knowing How Much Food to Buy:
Knowing How Much Food to Buy:
It's important to be conscious of the amount of food we buy and end up eating and throwing away. Here are a list of things that can make shopping easier and more waste conscious:
Meal prepping is a fun and budget friendly way to shop for your groceries. It is also an easy way to keep track of how much food you buy and how you are going to use it.
Checking the refrigerator is a great way to check what you already have, what you are running out of, and what you can use to create a meal so that you don't have to buy all the ingredients stir fry when you already have half of the ingredients for spaghetti.
Making a list before going grocery shopping has been shown to lower grocery bills and shopping trips for the 25% that follow through. They are also less susceptible to impulse buying.
Choosing a basket over a cart can make it easier to prioritize the products that are the most important. Rather than having a greater amount of room for impulse buying, a basket minimizes the amount of product being bought and saves you money.
Skipping deals unless it's on your list! While we are all tempted by the SALE sign, those deals are only good if you eat the extra food you are buying. A lot of waste can be contributed by excess food not being eaten and thrown away.
Shop the bulk bins with dry goods such as grains, nuts, and spices. These not only last longer, but they have a daily use. Some stores even allow you to purchase only the quantity you need which is very helpful if you just need ingredients for a specific recipe.
Harvesting produce at home in order to buy less at the grocery store or reduce the amount of times you have to go.
Properly Storing Food:
Properly Storing Food:
Most of food waste can be attributed to improper storage causing it to go bad quicker. By knowing how to store food, you will increase it's lifespan and therefore increase it's odds of being eaten. The longer the food lasts, the more we can use it while saving time and money in the process.
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