We have a major environmental crisis on our hands. Landfills are responsible for 20% of total U.S methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. In the United States, food takes up the most space inside these landfills. Hence, one of the easiest ways we can treat our planet a little kinder is by finishing our food.
Let’s start with the facts. Each year, 40% of the food supply in the United States goes to waste, making the U.S the global leader in food waste. This amounts to nearly 80 billion pounds of food, which is equivalent to 1,000 Empire State Buildings. This equates to 219 pounds of food per person and $1,600 per family of produce thrown away each year. On top of these disheartening statistics, 37 million people, including 11 million children, still suffer from food insecurity across America.
As former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, once said “let’s feed people, not landfills.” Here are easy ways to reduce your food waste:
- Understand food labels. A major misconception that contributes to billions of food waste is that people will get sick after eating food past their expiration date. This is not the case. Expiration dates often reflect taste, not safety or nutritional value. According to Doug Ranch, a former president at Trader Joe’s, “canned meat of fish can last decades” as long as the seal is intact.
- Forget about the aesthetics of produce. In the United States, a quarter of produce is thrown out for aesthetic reasons. American shoppers stray away from fruits and vegetables that bruise, bown, wilt, oxidize, ding, or discolor. The company “Hungry Harvest” sells harvest boxes of “ugly produce” for 20% less than grocery prices to fight hunger and food waste.
- Acknowledge your role in wasting. You can put your food scraps in a separate container from other trash to better understand how much you actually waste. Another strategy is to keep your grocery receipts. Everytime you clean out your fridge or throw away food, highlight what you wasted on your receipt. This gives you a snapshot of how much and how often you waste food and money. Most people believe that they toss less than they actually do.
- Buy less food. Understand how much food you actually need before going grocery shopping for the week. It also helps to understand which foods you actually finish, and avoid the ones that always stay untouched in the back of the fridge.
- Keep in mind your leftovers. Remember that your unfinished restaurant meals can always become an extra meal at home. Leftovers are great, so remember to finish them!
When I was a senior in high school I made a presentation advocating the reduction of individual food waste. Three years later, this problem still persists. You can help the environment and save money by simply finishing your leftovers.
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