Tips to fight food waste

Waste less food: Food Waste Prevention Week is April 1-7

One trillion dollars of food is wasted yearly. We can all do better!

People are starving in Gaza, Sudan, Syria and other places in the world, let’s not waste food.

**Why is reducing food waste so important?

It saves Money

Wasting food is expensive. Every year, Americans lose more than $218 billion on wasted food. In Florida, the average family of four throws out around $1,600 worth of food annually. Households are responsible for the most wasted food. If we begin to reduce and prevent food waste, we can save that money that is wasted on spoiled food.

It reduces hunger in our communities

In the US, approximately 40% of all food grown and produced is never eaten. That’s a lot of food wasted that could go to people that don’t have access to food. 1 in 5 people lack consistent access to nutritious food, while up to 3 million tons of wasted food goes to landfills annually. Recovered food provides an additional source of nutritious food.

It protects the environment

Reducing food waste is the #1 personal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while safeguarding critical natural resources. When food is wasted, it goes into a landfill. Once in a landfill, food waste breaks down and emits greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide, making it more damaging to the environment. If we reduce food waste, we could save the environment from this damage.

What Can I Do?

At home

• Save leftovers and store/freeze food in portion-ready containers
• Cook only what is needed for that meal
• Make one night a weekly “leftover” night to empty the refrigerator before shopping again
• Audit what you throw away; it will influence your next shopping trip
• Keep kitchen essentials on hand (grains, spices, sauces) that bring new life to old meals
• Freeze ripe fruits and vegetables for baking, cooking and filling in gaps in recipes
• Compost 

At the grocery store

• Plan menus for the week and prepare a shopping list
• Stick to your shopping list
• Match your shopping to the reality of your week
• Buy smaller quantities, if appropriate, to avoid spoilage and waste
• Don’t shop hungry
• Pay in cash so the amount your spending is tangible
• If you bought items that you won’t use, donate them before the expiration date

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At work

• If you bring a lunch, bring only what you will eat
• In the case of leftovers, save for the next day, if you have a work refrigerator
• If you brought too much, share with others
• If ordering takeout/delivery, save leftovers or share an order
• Bring leftovers from dinner last night

Check out these resources to reduce food waste and spread the word with your community, https://stopfoodwaste.ecochallenge.org 

• Hennepin County activity guide – Reducing Food Waste
• Create meals, not waste: tips to stop food waste (DOCX)
• Create meals, not waste: Planning ahead to reduce food waste, Hennepin County Climate Action article
• Eat the food you buy: Storing food to make it last, Hennepin County Climate Action article
• Refrigerator Insider food waste reduction tips flyer (PDF)

**This information is from the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County

https://www.ecowatch.com/global-food-waste-un-report.html