Feeding the world will become more difficult in the future as 9 billion people are expected on the planet by 2050, compared to a world population of around 7 billion people in 2015. Developing habits to save more of the food we already have will put less strain on the resources associated with producing and buying food and aid in reducing the creation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Here are 14 ways consumers can help reduce the amount of food wasted:
1. Shop the refrigerator before going to the store Use food at home before buying more. Designate one meal weekly as a "use-it-up" meal. You can create a delicious soup or stir-fry with vegetables needing to be used up or have a buffet of left-overs for everyone to choose from.
2. Move older food products to the front of the fridge/cupboard/freezer and just-purchased ones to the back. This makes it more likely foods will be consumed before they go bad. Do the same with your crisper to make sure vegetables do not get lost in the back.
3. Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below to prolong the life of foods. Foods frozen at 0 degrees F or lower will remain safe indefinitely but the quality will go down over time.
4. Freeze or can surplus fresh produce using safe, up-to-date food preservation methods.
5. Take restaurant leftovers home and refrigerate within two hours of being served. Eat within three to four days or freeze. Ask for a take home container at the beginning of the meal if portions look especially large. Remove take home food from your plate at the beginning of the meal so leftovers are as appetizing as the original meal rather than the picked-over remains. Or, choose a smaller size and/or split a dish with a dining companion.
6. Dish up reasonable amounts of food at a buffet and go back for more if still hungry. Not only will this safe on food waste, it may help your waistline too.
7. Compost food scraps for use in the garden.
8. Check product dates on foods. The United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) defines them as:
- A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
- A "Best if Used By (or Before)" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
- A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product. Do not buy or use baby formula after its "use-by" date.
10. Buy misshapen fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets and elsewhere. They taste just as good and are just as nutritious as those with a "perfect" shape but are more likely to get thrown away.
11. Rather than buy a food for use in only one recipe, check if there might be a suitable substitute already in the home. The Cook's Thesaurus website (http://foodsubs.com) gives thousands of ingredient substitutions.
12. Check the garbage can. If the same foods are constantly being tossed: Eat them sooner, buy less of them, incorporate them into more recipes or freeze them.
13. Donate safe, nutritious food to food banks, food pantries and food rescue programs. Schedule a pantry cleaning day and review dates on canned goods before putting them back.
14. If you have several foods that might go to waste at the same time, try adding them to such adaptable recipes as salads, soups, pasta and casseroles.
Adapted from article by Alice Henneman 14 Ways Consumers Can Reduce Food Waste. For more information see University of Nebraska - Lincoln article at
https://go.unl.edu/f4r8
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