7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

This past summer, the American Chemistry Council stated that the American household wastes $640 on average per year in food without even knowing it. Just think of what we could do with an extra $640! Tons and tons (literally) of food get thrown away each year and this is often due to purchasing too much at the store or cooking meals that are too large. This also happens when dining out; we try to watch our portions when going out to eat, and sometime we forget our to-go baggy. Restaurants throw away guests’ leftovers and it adds to the pile of wasted food.

Here are 7 tips for reducing food waste:

1. Meal Planning. Plan ahead for upcoming meals. It’s helpful to choose recipes that have overlapping ingredients. This helps to reduce the amount of food purchased. Avoid buying or making too much food by preparing only 1 or 2 recipes each week. If a recipe calls for a rare or expensive ingredient, swap it out for something you have on hand or an ingredient you will use regularly.For information and tips on meal planning check out this previous blog post!
   
2. Rotate Produce. Use the “first in, first out” policy. After going to the store, rotate “old” foods to the front of the fridge or pantry so these foods will be eaten first. The “new” foods that were just purchased go to the back of the fridge or pantry, unless of course these ingredients are needed immediately.
3. Stretch the life of your fruits and veggies. Fruit that is past its prime can be used in breads or smoothies instead of being thrown away. Vegetables can be used to make stock and stale bread or crackers can be used in casseroles or to make croutons.
4. Send home leftovers. If inviting guests over for a meal, send them home with leftovers. They get a nice meal the next day and this helps reduce food waste!
5. Freeze it! Most leftovers will be just fine reheated. This includes meat, vegetables, fruit, and casseroles. Make sure to put leftovers in tightly sealed containers or wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prolong freezer life.
6. Donate. Food banks are always grateful for donations. Canned items within “use-by” or “sell-by” dates are perfect contributions, but many food banks will also take produce or packaged items that have not been opened or tampered with.
7. Compost! Food scraps can be composted and used to enhance your garden. If this is not something you want to do yourself, ask a neighbor or co-worker if they do this or know where scraps can be taken locally.Check out the infographic below from Craftsy!

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