10 Ways to set yourself up for success when it comes to minimizing food waste.
In the United States, an estimated 44 million people face food insecurity—including around 10% of people living in poverty in the Ohio county where I live, yet 30-40% of the total available food supply in America goes uneaten and wasted each year. That is a troubling irony, and only one piece of a comprehensive issue.
Food waste is a multi-faceted humanitarian and environmental problem that stretches across every stage of the supply chain—from farming and retail to our own kitchens as consumers. Along with the wasted resources required to grow, harvest, transport and package food that goes uneaten, landfilled food waste accounts for around 6% to 8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Preventing food waste in our own lives is most certainly one way we can all help, and it’s easy to do with a little bit of mindfulness and preparation.
The following are 10 ways to set yourself up for success when it comes to minimizing food waste. Whether you try a couple or choose to implement them all, your efforts are meaningful, and the benefits will extend from the environment to your wallet.
10 Ways to Reduce Food Waste
Meal Plan Designate time to plan a menu for the week and keep track of quantities needed. Giving each weeknight a theme (“Slow-Cooker Monday,” Taco Tuesday," “Italian Sunday,” etc.) is a helpful place to start, and allows you to consider healthy options and portions. Being consistent in your efforts will help you identify a base list of regular weekly items, and will supply you with a rotation of go-to recipes for future planning. It’s easier to throw together dinner during a busy weeknight when you already have a roadmap to follow.
Shop with a grocery list (and grab a snack before you shop). It is easy to over-purchase or impulse buy if you don’t have a list, if your stomach is growling or if there are hungry-eyed kids around. Regardless of if you shop in-store or online, start off on the right foot by planning ahead with a list of exactly what you need. Have some back-up options in mind in case what you are looking for is not available that day, and iron out any requests from kids prior to your trek through the aisles.
Storing Food Having an organized system in your fridge is key. Take a cue from the grocery store and apply the “first in, first out” rule, rotating older items to the front so that you remember to use them first. There are a lot of tricks for storing fresh produce and other foods to help them last longer. It’s worth spending time researching the items your family likes to eat to understand how to get the longest shelf life out of them. Finding the right organization method can help prevent items from getting buried in the back until the next time you clean your fridge.
Don’t rely on product dating labels for all the answers. Product dating labels can be confusing because there are no federal regulations and guidelines requiring them. As such, manufacturers often provide an estimated timeframe of best quality to help retailers and consumers know how long to keep the items on shelves—but the dates are not indicative of when the items will no longer be safe to consume (with the exception of baby formula), says the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. They recommend evaluating the quality of the food product prior to its consumption by looking for signs of spoilage, like odors or texture changes. If you are hesitant about eating something past the suggested date, do your best to eat before any concern.
Shop your own kitchen and make use of what’s available. We call this “stretch week” in our house—when there is a little bit left of various ingredients and enough around to make due. Often this results in pulling items from the freezer or pantry, making soups or stews, throwing together a tossed salad or using leftovers creatively. It’s important to remember that stalks, stems, leaves and peels can be utilized in many ways to avoid waste, along with overripe fruits. Think about what ingredients you have on hand and do a quick search for recipes based on those ingredients. There are also several apps that can help do this for you. Doing this once every month or two will encourage you to use what you have and it’s a great cost savings.
Grow your own food and share your surplus. You don’t necessarily have to have a green thumb to make this one work. Even a small herb plant or two on your counter can go a long way in preventing the waste that comes from buying a predetermined bunch from the store when all you need is a small amount. If you do enjoy gardening and have a surplus of harvest—think about the many ways to make use of it. Preserving it for future use, sharing it with neighbors and family or donating it to an accepting food pantry are all good ways to prevent it from spoiling. You might even consider passing it on to a friend or neighbor for chicken or livestock feed.
Help kids understand food waste. This one can be an ongoing battle—but it’s one worth fighting. Helping kids understand where the food on their plates comes from and where it goes when it is not eaten is an important part in giving them the right tools to think about their own place in reducing food waste. Providing reasonable choices and encouraging kids to only take what they plan to eat versus plating meals for them is one way to help empower them. Reducing snacks so they are hungrier at meal times also helps. When kids are old enough to clear and clean their own plates after meals, they can see first-hand what goes into the trash or compost—valuable information without a lecture from mom and dad.
Hosting Planning the right amount of food when hosting a party or get-together is challenging. It’s a fine line between having enough and the right variety for everyone, without ending up with an abundance of leftovers. Knowing your guests and their preferences is a good way to plan a menu that will be well-received (my husband calls this “playing the hits”), especially when kids are present. Have some reusable to-go containers available to send extras home, and utilize your freezer to store left-overs for future meals. It’s important to be realistic about what you serve—a measurement that can take time to figure out. If your plan for food doesn’t work out how you expect, adapt your strategy and plan accordingly next time.
Eating Out Restaurants already generate a lot of food waste before we even see the menu, so let's help to reduce the post-consumer side of the problem by paying attention to our ordering habits. When eating out, ask servers about portion sizes and if you can make adjustments. Consider splitting meals or ordering shareable plates. Plan ahead by bringing a reusable to-go container with you to take leftovers home. Enjoying a meal out is a lot more satisfying when you don’t have to walk away from a table left with plates of uneaten food.
Know your own problem areas and modify the best you can. In the end, the best way to avoid food waste is to have a clear understanding of the items you typically throw away, and then think backwards about why. So often our lives become on autopilot, cruising from one week to the next. Taking a moment to slow down and reflect provides a lot of insight that can help you make some informed and positive changes in your habits.
When food waste is unavoidable, composting is a helpful way to turn uneaten food into nutrient-rich soil that can be used in the yard or garden. Though it isn’t really the answer to the problem, it's a good companion effort to your other goals for minimizing food waste.
What ways have you found success in reducing food waste? Please share and add to the list!
—Jill Span Hofbauer
Sources
Fight climate change by preventing food waste. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste#:~:text=And%20if%20food%20goes%20to,if%20we%20stop%20wasting%20food
Food Waste FAQs. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
Jaglo, Kirsten., Kenny, Shannon., Stephenson, Jenny. (November 2021) From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of Food Waste. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental-impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf
Rabbitt, M.P., Hales, L.J., Burke, M.P., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2023). Household food security in the United States in 2022 (Report No. ERR-325). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://doi.org/10.32747/2023.8134351.ers
Research Center National Overview 2021. United for ALICE. https://www.unitedforalice.org/national-overview
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