Stop Food Waste

Stop Food Waste – at least minimize it!

#StopFoodWasteDay

Did you know:

About one-third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted each year?

The average American family spends over $1800 annually on wasted food? 

About 25% of the food wasted globally could feed the undernourished people in the world? 

Approximately 8% of greenhouse gas emissions annually are from food loss and food waste? 

Food Loss vs. Food Waste

There is a difference here, and you control one of them. 

Food loss occurs before the food reaches the consumer. Farmers and companies are working to minimize food loss. 

Food loss could be weather related, such as a freeze right before harvest and the crop being damaged and unusable. 

Food loss could be from pests – animals, fungus, or an invasive weed – that damage the crop, making it inedible. 

Food loss could be from the semi-truck accident where food gets scattered across the highway. 

Food loss could be damage to packaging in transit to the truck into the store, such as a knife nicking the milk carton. 

Food loss could be fresh fruits and vegetables rotting in the grocery store before sale – and the store must discard them. 

Food waste is after the sale, and the consumer has it.

Food waste could be the cucumber or celery getting moldy or slimy (inedible) because it was left in the crisper drawer and forgotten. 

Food waste can include people discarding foods past the misleading dates on the containers even though those are not “expiration” dates but sell-by, use-by, and best-by dates unrelated to food safety. 

Food waste can include discarding leftovers that aren’t eaten within four days (past their safe-to-eat timeframe). 

Food waste can include food in the pantry that has gone stale. It is still safe to eat but doesn’t taste as good, so it gets tossed.

Food waste is peeling the cucumber, potato, or apple and throwing the peels away. 

How YOU Can Minimize Food Waste In Your Home

Use what you have – and double-check before you buy. 

Before buying more food, see what you have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. 

Pantry foods are less at risk for food waste, but why buy more if you have some already? 

What foods in the freezer need to be used? Use the frozen food within 4-6 months, though it can go longer. If you have food that is a year old or more? What are you waiting for? 

Foods in the fridge are easily lost even though that space isn’t that big. What vegetables do you have that you need to use up? Work your menu around those that then the other way around. 

Buy what you need and what you will use. 

Hopefully, you are using a list when you shop – if you don’t, try making one and stick to it. 

Also, considering that the larger package may have a lower price per unit or ounce, will you be able to use it before it is too late? 

While the five pounds of bacon may be a great price, will it be used up before it gets a bit green? 

Freeze foods: FREEZE them if you buy or make more than you need. 

I often get a bigger portion of ground meat, then break it into smaller amounts and freeze it (don’t forget to date the package). If I don’t do it right away, it is okay to cook and freeze that meat too. 

Don’t believe you can eat those leftovers in the next four days? Wrap it up and get it in the freezer within the hour. Label it with the contents and date so you don’t wonder what it is a month or two later. 

Salads can have a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cheese.

Eat your veggies. If you have vegetables at risk of being tossed, make a soup, stew, sauce, or egg dish (such as quiche, frittata, or omelet) to use those vegetables. 

Have a red bell pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini? Chop those up, sauté them, and add shrimp or chicken with soy sauce for a veggie stir fry. 

Add finely chopped broccoli or shredded carrots to spaghetti sauce. 

Cut up the veggies and toss in olive oil and roast them. 

Get creative with salads – it doesn’t just need to be lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. Peppers, broccoli, and snap peas work in there too. 

Save the scraps and make a stock.  

You don’t want to eat the ends of the celery, carrots, or green bean tips? That is normal and okay. You can toss those or keep a zip-top bag in the freezer with these scraps and one a month or so (when the bag is full) and then make a veggie stock.

Learn more about that here.

Yes, minimizing food waste in your home takes practice, but it will likely save money and help with reaching the goal of stopping food waste. #Stopfoodwaste