6 Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste
6 Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste
How many times have you thrown away rotten fruit, half a carton of spoiled milk, or a box of stale cereal? The likely answer is far too often. Today, 1/3 of the planet’s food goes to waste — enough to feed two billion people (Crazy right?!). With over 800 million people starving in the world and food wastes’ contribution to climate change, I strongly believe this is a serious problem that we must prioritize.
Did you know:
1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, which equals $1 trillion dollars of wasted food
Just one quarter of all wasted food could feed the 795 million undernourished people around the world who suffer from hunger
About 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted, which equals more than 20 lbs of food per person per month
Food waste generates 3.3 billions tons of carbon dioxide
Well, now that you know what can you do about it? Obviously, this a big problem that cannot be solved by just one person. But, there are many easy habits you can adopt to help reduce the problem and be apart of the solution.
Here are 6 simple ways to reduce your food waste:
1. Plan out your meals before you get to the grocery store
A detailed list of what meals you plan to eat and what ingredients you need will help you shop effectively and ensure you don’t overbuy. Planning meals will reduce the amount of food that goes bad before you’ve had a chance to eat it.
2. Eat your leftovers
Always save your leftovers. Even if it’s only a small amount, it could turn out to be the perfect snack.
3. Store food in the right places
Proper storage is the key to making foods last as long as possible. Make sure you do your research and figure out which fruits and vegetables like to be at room temperature and which need to be refrigerated.
4. Organization is key
Don’t just toss everything into your pantry or fridge. Strategically place your food so that you can actually see what you have and don’t forget about it.
5. Eat in order
Along with organization, move your oldest food items to the front of your fridge and cabinet to remind yourself to eat those items first. Always check expiration dates and eat food in order of what will go bad first.
6. Donate!
Before you throw away excess food, reach out to local food banks and charities and give to those in need.
