Welcome back! In this week’s edition of Food Savvy Friday, we will be discussing food waste, its impacts, and what we can do to reduce our food waste.
How much food goes to waste?
Wasting food is something we all do, in fact, it happens so often we probably don’t even think about it. Did you know that the average person throws away 400 pounds of food per year? This wasted food comes from throwing away produce scraps, not using up food before it goes bad, and throwing away leftovers after meals.
On a systematic scale, we see food being wasted when grocery stores overstock shelves causing food to go bad, when restaurants throw away leftover portions, and when farmers are unable to sell produce due to minor imperfections.
All of this wasted food is in stark contrast to the fact that 1 in 8 Americans struggle to get enough food on their table.
What happens to the food that is wasted?
Unfortunately, all the wasted food takes a significant toll on the environment. A large amount of resources and energy goes into disposing and transporting this waste. Most of this waste ends up in landfills where it produces methane—a greenhouse gas more impactful than carbon dioxide.
We’ve seen how frequent food waste is and how detrimental it is on our food supply and environment. So what can we do to reduce our food waste?
- Use up all the food in your fridge: before going to the grocery store to get more food, try to use up all the food you have first. Try preparing dishes you can easily make using a lot of produce you may have leftover, like stir fry or sauteing vegetables to serve with pasta. If you can’t use up all the food you have before it goes bad, put it in the freezer so it will last longer, and use it when you are ready.
- Shop smart: When grocery shopping, only buy what you think you will be able to consume before it goes bad. This is definitely something that takes some trial and error when first shopping for yourself, but being mindful is the first step. Consider also buying frozen fruits and vegetables as a great way to get nutritious groceries that won’t go bad as quickly as fresh produce.
- Don’t waste food scraps: Try to use up every part of your food. For example, instead of throwing away the stalks of your broccoli, chop them up and include them in your dish. They are great in a stir fry! For more ideas on how to incorporate food scraps into your meals, check out influencers such as @maxlamanna on Instagram for awesome ideas and recipes to reduce food waste.
- Regrow your food: There are a lot of plants that you can regrow yourself. For example: after using a head of romaine lettuce, put the base in a glass of water and watch it grow. Other plants like garlic, ginger, and green onions can be regrown simply by putting them in a glass of water too—it’s magical!
These are all small changes we can make, but a lot of people making small changes leads to a big impact. So let’s be mindful of our consumption, and work to reduce our waste.