In a world where 805 million people are starving, food is too precious to waste. Hunger claims the lives of 3.1 million children under the age of five each year. The United States alone fosters 49 million people who are food insecure, and yet, the average American family of four throws away 1.2 million calories worth of food annually.
Those wasted calories are also detrimental the planet’s health. According to the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, food decomposing in landfills generates methane, a problematic greenhouse gas which has 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Additionally, growing food uses up enormous amounts of water and energy. Wasting food is wasting the use of those precious resources — and the money that you’re paying for it.
The silver lining to this dark and ominous cloud? There’s still a lot that we can do to avoid wasting food, both in the United States and internationally. Bonus: you don’t have to completely upheave your lifestyle and make huge sacrifices to do so. Baby steps are all it takes to improve the current situation! Here are some tips on how to get started.
1. Shop smart.
Make sure to eat a good meal before you go grocery shopping. Aisles of beautifully arranged cookies, huge bags of pretzels and overflowing tubs of ice cream can sometimes make you forget that you’re not shopping for a dinner party, especially if you’re shopping while hungry. Often, these snacks are left half-eaten and end up in the trash by the end of the week. Buy portions of food that you know you’ll be able to finish before it starts to go bad.
In addition, make sure not to buy food you know you won’t end up eating!
2. Log what you throw away.
If you have a good idea of what you’re throwing away each week, you’ll be able to better plan for your next grocery trip.
3. Store groceries properly.
If you’re a BuzzFeed addict like me, you might have already seen their article on how to store food to keep it fresh. It’s a great guide that shows you exactly how to store produce, meat, bread and dairy and how long it will stay good for. Be sure to store your food in clear containers instead of white to-go boxes. That way, you’ll be less likely to forget what’s in the containers and let it go to waste.
Additionally, make sure you know which foods to eat first before moving on to others: mushrooms will stay edible only for three days in the fridge, but your carrots will last you about three weeks.
4. Rotate your groceries.
RealSimple.com’s First In, First Out method is a good way to make sure you consume your older food before you crack into what you just bought. It calls for sliding new items to the back of the fridge and rotating canned goods in the same way.
5. Don’t take “use by” dates too seriously.
An item’s “use by” date does not equal the day it automatically expires. Most foods will last up to a few weeks after the date printed on their labels. The date only indicates when the food is at its peak freshness and not when it becomes inedible. Refrigerated eggs, for instance, can last up to five weeks after purchase, so don’t throw them away if they’ve passed their “use by” deadline!
To learn more about food waste and reducing its impact on the planet, check out these resources: