Some practical ways to reduce food waste

Image by herb007 from Pixabay

By Jill Weisenberger
Posted on February 05, 2021

Consumers around the world waste mountains of food. In fact, food is the largest category of waste in landfills, where it generates methane, a contributor to global climate change.

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that uneaten food belts out 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the earth’s atmosphere each year. If global food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, behind China and the United States.

The warming of the globe caused by greenhouse gases is not the only concern. “Wasting food wastes the natural resources that were used to grow it, the labor that was needed to grow and harvest it, and the money consumers used to purchase it,” said Jennifer Otten, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor and food systems director of the Food Systems, Nutrition and Health Program at the University of Washington.

Americans waste 30% to 40% of the nation’s food supply, with more than 31% occurring at the retail and consumer level. Yet each part of the food system plays a role.

According to a January 2020 report by the Economic Research Service of the USDA, the following are only a few factors in the food supply chain that lead to wasted nourishment:

Price fluctuations: When prices for produce fall below the cost growers must pay to get the food to market, they may choose to leave the food unharvested.

Labor costs and availability: If growers can’t find or afford labor, especially for harvesting, they again may choose to leave their crops unharvested.

Food quality or expectations: Food buyers, such as restaurants and supermarkets, may reject food that doesn’t meet their requirements for appearance or other quality.

What you can do

Each us needs to do our part, urges Otten, who said that most people waste more than they realize.

She suggests monitoring your waste. What are you throwing away and when? Identify your bad habits.

For example, do you buy too much in the supermarket, cook more food than your family can eat, or toss out restaurant leftovers? Once you know where your weaknesses are, you can shore them up.

Use all the parts. By eating as much of the food as possible, you’ll automatically waste less, explained Sharon Palmer, M.S.F.S., R.D.N., the Plant-Powered Dietitian. For example, shred broccoli stalks for a salad or stir-fry, and use the leaves in soup.

Plan your meals. Create a menu with just enough flexibility to keep it interesting and to take advantage of great supermarket or farm-stand finds.

Keep fresh and cooked foods cool. Unload your stash as soon as you’re home from the market, and package leftovers right after eating. By keeping your food cold, you’ll help it last longer. Keep your refrigerator at or below 40 degrees F and your freezer at 0 degrees F.

Value your food. Imagine that you pay three or more times for your groceries than your receipt actually shows. Are you more likely to be careful with it and waste less? Probably.

Instead of just valuing your food based on its price tag, also think about the people who worked to get it to you or the animal who provided it.

Avoid overeating. Eating more than your body needs for nourishment is a form of food waste, Palmer said.

Have a “must-go” night. Enjoy an easy meal once a week or so when no one has to cook. Simply reheat everything that must go before it spoils.

Cook your fruit. Sometimes a fresh plum or apple is disappointing. Instead of throwing it out, grill, bake or cook it. Cooking fruit brings out more natural sweetness.

Scan your inventory. At least once weekly, go through your refrigerator to see what needs to be eaten up. Then, turn veggies and cooked grains into soup. Package leftovers for the freezer. Or mix several leftovers with beaten eggs and bake for a light meal.

Understand product dates. Usually sell-by and best-by dates refer to food quality, not to safety. So, you can generally keep cereal or canned vegetables beyond those dates.

Compost. Save anything you can’t use elsewhere for the compost pile, Palmer suggested. It nourishes your soil. Your flower garden or vegetables will thank you.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 1-800-829-5384, EnvironmentalNutrition.com.