Store it, Serve it and Share it
Did you know that food waste is currently responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions? The good news - it’s easy to cut down on food waste at home! Just three simple steps: store it, serve it and share it.
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Food is an incredibly important part of our lives - it brings us together, nourishes us and connects us to our culture. Right now, 40% of the food grown in the US is thrown away. That means 40% of the land, water, and energy we use to grow food gets wasted too. Food waste also creates methane - a powerful greenhouse gas. This is not just an environmental problem: 1 out of every 6 Americans has trouble putting enough food on the table. Imagine what a difference it could make if instead of wasting food, it went to those who need it!
The good news - with a few simple changes, you can significantly reduce the amount of food you throw away. Just storing food the right way alone can be a gamechanger! Studies have shown that up to 2/3 of household food waste comes from improper storage. Add in a few tips on serving and sharing and you can really make a difference! Reducing food waste also saves time and money.
1Store your food to make it last
Find out what foods go where. Did you know that putting your groceries in the right place in your kitchen can make all the difference?
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Does it go in the fridge? First, know what to refrigerate. Check out this guide here on storing fruits and veggies. For more detailed tips on any food item, check out SaveTheFood.com’s Storage Guide.
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Where in the fridge? Next, did you know that the temperature varies in different areas in your fridge?
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The inside of the door is the warmest spot in the fridge, so the least perishable items should live there - think condiments, not eggs.
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The coolest place is the lowest shelf right above the crisper drawers, making it the ideal spot for meat, fish and poultry.
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To learn more, check your fridge manual or this guide: The Refrigerator Demystified.
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In the freezer: Your freezer is your new best friend! It’s a great place to store many foods to keep them fresh longer - including bread, meat, dairy and other staples. If you have something that is about to expire but you’re not quite ready to use it, put it in the freezer until you're ready.
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On the counter: Finally, know what belongs on the counter or in a cupboard. For example, garlic, ginger and onions should all be kept in a cool, dry place. Check out this storage guide for more tips!
Within these zones, follow the “First In, First Out” rule! When you restock on lettuce, put the fresh bunch behind the partly-used one. It’ll help you remember to use the older items first.
Separate the ripe fruits. When fruits and vegetables get ripe, they release a ripening chemical into the air that can quickly ripen everything around them. So keep fast-ripening fruits like bananas, avocados, peaches and apples separated from other items to keep them fresh for longer - inside or outside of the fridge!
2Serve smart
Serve less. If you serve a bit less on your plate, you’re less likely to end up throwing away those last few bites you can’t finish. You can always go back for more if you’re still hungry! We have all gotten used to restaurant sized portions, but these are usually way more than we really need. Serve a bit less and save on food waste!
Leverage those leftovers. Make leftovers a part of your meal planning. Most leftovers kept in the fridge are best eaten within 3-5 days (3 days for meat, up to 5 days for other foods), and can keep much longer in the freezer!
Know your dates. Many food products are labeled with dates that appear to be a hard safety deadline. However, these dates actually have a variety of meanings:
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“Use by,” “Best by,” and “Best before” dates: These are not FDA-regulated expiration dates. Instead, they’re voluntarily provided to indicate when the product will be at its highest quality.
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“Sell-by” date: This tells retailers when they should pull an unsold product from the shelf. Make sure to purchase meat and poultry before its sell-by date, but if you store and cook it properly it’s often safe to eat for a few days after that date passes.
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“Expires on” date: This is the only FDA-enforced expiration date, and the only place you’ll find it is on infant formula.
All in all, it’s best to use your senses (visual inspection, sniff test) and your judgement when deciding whether or not to throw something out. You can also use this guide to help you decide.
Brave the bruises. It’s pretty much inevitable: at some point, those bananas will brown, those zucchinis will soften and those peaches will bruise. When your fruits and veggies do start to get funky, don’t throw them away!! Instead, cut out that yucky part and find a creative use for them - keep reading for some ideas!
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Throw that overripe fruit in the blender! In a smoothie you’ll get tons of flavor and sweetness, without the fruit’s funky appearance.
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Do some baking - banana bread, for example, is best with really brown bananas.
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For vegetables, frittatas and stews are two easy dishes that don’t require perfect-looking ingredients.
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Check out these Tips and Tricks to Save Money by Reducing Food Waste for more ideas!
3Donate what you don't need
Check your pantry. Stocking up and buying in bulk are great ways to save money and time. However, even cans of beans go bad after a few years, so it’s important to keep an eye on your pantry. Try going through your pantry at least once a year and donate the things you won’t use to local food drives.
Help feed your community. Hunger is a growing problem in the US. Your local food bank will gratefully accept your canned beans, peaches, soup, and any other non-perishable items you have on hand. Right now only 10% of wasted food in the US is recovered for food banks, so donating what you can from your pantry will mean a lot for your community.
If you can’t donate, compost. Rich, fertile soil for your garden - for free! Check out our Compost Action for more tips.
Extra Credit: Support food recovery. Food recovery organizations are community groups that collect unused food from supermarkets, restaurants and farms before it gets wasted. This food is then donated to food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations. This is your way to help reduce food waste beyond your household! You can get involved by volunteering, donating food, and encouraging local businesses to participate. Find your local group with this handy Food Rescue Locator.
4Figure out how much food you're saving
Measure your food waste before and after taking action. To figure out how much food you throw away, take a container and use it to track the food you throw out. Fill up the container and empty it when it’s full. Before you start this action, track the number of containers you filled in a week, add it up and record it as your starting number. Then measure and record it again after you have taken these actions to see how much you have reduced!
It is easy to use a quart container to measure, but you can use a container of any size if you know its volume. Common container sizes: Pint = 2 cups, Quart = 4 cups, Gallon = 16 cups. Once you find out how much food waste you have reduced in a week, convert it to cups and record it in the action question above.
You might be surprised at what you find! According to the USDA, average food waste for a family of 4 is 45 to 60 cups (11 to 15 quarts) a week. See how you compare! Reducing food waste has a BIG impact (= lots of points!).