Food waste is a growing concern around the world. Throwing out edible food isn’t just a problem for your wallet, it’s a problem for the environment.
- 1/3 of all food produced worldwide goes to waste.
- Over 50% of America’s produce goes uneaten.
- Discarded food is sent to landfills, where it produces 34% of the world’s methane gas emissions.
- Methane is 30 times more potent as a heat trapping gas than CO2.
Pretty sobering facts, right?
However, this is something you have a direct impact on every single day. With minimal effort, you can cut down your food waste drastically, save money, and help the environment all at once.
Here are 10 easy ways to help eliminate food waste in your kitchen!
1. Plan out meals.
Before every grocery trip, jot down a weekly meal plan. I used to shop haphazardly, tossing in whatever caught my eye. Many of the groceries would go bad or get pushed to the back of the pantry, unused. I’d have to run back out to the store multiple times during the week to pick up forgotten ingredients. And you know you end up spending another $20 each trip to the grocery store. Meal planning has not only helped cut down on waste, but it’s helped us save a lot of money.
2. Take inventory before shopping.
Before you head out to the grocery store, check and see what forgotten ingredients are lurking in the back corner. You’d be surprised what little side dishes and chopped veggies you stuck in some Tupperware and forgot all about.
3. Make your own vegetable broth.
Save your veggie scraps in your freezer and make broth every two weeks. This always makes me feel better about all the scraps that otherwise would’ve gone into the trash. Here’s an easy recipe showing you how to do this.
4. Make friends with your freezer!
We pop so many leftovers into our freezer, it’s unreal. Off the top of my head, I know there is leftover: soup broth, pizza slices, muffins, chopped mushrooms, breakfast casserole, soup and waffles in our freezer right now! Here’s a helpful list of foods you can easily freeze.
5. Buy ugly produce.
Six billion pounds of produce is wasted every year, just because it’s ugly. Who cares if that apple has a tiny nick out of it, or if your carrot has some extra lil nubs on it? Go ahead and save this food from hitting the supermarket’s garbage bin – that imperfect produce deserves some love too!
6. Designate one week per month as a no-grocery week.
Right before we went back to the States last month, we decided not to get groceries the week before we left. I was surprised to find how easy it was to create meals from random pantry items and leftovers I had in the freezer. We were able to clear a lot of clutter from our kitchen and use food items that otherwise would’ve sat there for another few weeks (or months)!
7. Give food away.
Do you have a neighbor you’re comfortable sharing food with? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve texted one of my neighbors a few floors down and said “Do you guys like blueberry muffins? We won’t be able to eat them all.” What about a local food bank? They’re always grateful for anything you can drop off!
8. Understand expiration dates.
These dates are when the company’s idea of the peak quality of their product – they aren’t regulated by the FDA. It’s more to do with food quality than food safety. Which date are you paying attention to? A quick guide to your food’s dates:
- Sell-by date is for retailers, not consumers. It tells retailers how long they can keep the product on store shelves.
- Best-by date is the date at which the manufacturer thinks the product has reached its peak quality.
- Use-by date is the final day of peak quality. This is the only expiration date that’s relevant to the consumer’s home use. This is STILL not a safety date unless on infant formula.
And get this: even when the “use-by” date has passed, the food is usually still safe to eat. Use your best judgment when it comes to food dates.
9. Keep your fridge, freezer and pantry organized.
Rotate the items in your fridge or pantry so that the older items are in the front. This will help you use food before it goes bad. I’ve also noticed food gets eaten much quicker when it’s in a clear container or jar.
10. Store produce properly.
I recently discovered that I’ve been storing some produce wrong for years! This makes all the difference in how long it stays good.
Just remember, you can make a difference!
Every little positive change you can make to reduce your waste makes a difference across the board. I often hear people getting discouraged because being sustainable seems too daunting. It’s about the journey though, not the destination.
The small sustainable steps you take in your daily life really do add up to make a big difference!
What tips do you have for reducing food waste in the kitchen?
Thank you! I find your posts so helpful. Like this time–the “dates” of when to use or not to use; I did not know the different and thought it had to do with food safety. Thank you for sharing all of this!
Thanks Melissa! Yes, it surprised me too. I knew it was more of a guideline than a set date, but it still took me by surprise to learn the exact details of how it works!