Eliminating Food Waste
About 40 percent of the United States food supply
(1,500 calories/ person/day) goes uneaten. Discarded food in homes and
foodservice accounts for 60 percent of this total food loss and is mostly
avoidable. The remaining portion is lost or wasted during food production.
This amount of food waste is among the highest
globally. Preventing food waste saves money and resources. Resources used to
produce uneaten food include: 30 percent of fertilizer, 31 percent of cropland,
25 percent of total fresh water consumption and 2 percent of total energy
consumption.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates food
wastes at almost 14 percent of the total municipal solid wastes in the United
States in 2010, with less than 3 percent recovered and recycled. Food in
landfills decomposes to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
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 some ways consumers can help reduce the
amount of food wasted. Additional tips will be shared on Wednesday.
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.
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.
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.
Freeze or can surplus fresh produce
using safe, up-to-date food preservation methods. Visit the National Center for
Home Food Preservation website (http://nchfp.uga.edu)
for freezing and canning instructions.
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.
Dish up reasonable amounts of food at a buffet and
go back for more if still hungry.
Compost food scraps for use in the garden.
Source: Adapted from Alice Henneman, MS, RDN, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Extension, Food Reflections Newsletter. University of Nebraska Extension, Lancaster
County
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