Food Waste

In the US it is estimated that 30-40 percent of the total food supply is wasted (USDA). This is food that could have gone to good use and instead lots of labor and resources are needed to dispose of the thrown away food.

It is not all the fault of the consumer, lots of food is lost somewhere between the farm and your fridge but theres also plenty of food wasted by individual consumers that we can work on.

Some ways I reduce food waste include, planning my grocery trips, shopping frequently, and making sure I use all parts of the food I buy, and when all else fails and produce goes bad, I compost.

One way I reduce food waste is to plan my week of meals before I shop so I'm only buying what I'm planning to use. This can also make more a more relaxing shopping experience, which I'm sure we all need more of during a high-stress time.

Another way I reduce me food waste is by buying less food each time I shop and shopping frequently. I try to only buy produce that I know I can eat in one week so I ensure it doesn’t go bad!

I also try to use every edible part of the foods I buy in order to reduce my waste. Finding recipes for the lesser known edible parts of a plant like carrot top pesto or sautéed beet greens is easier and more delicious than you might have thought (recipes are coming so keep an eye out here).

As a last resort to reducing food waste, I compost the food scraps or things that have gone bad to that all of those nutrients I didn't use can go back into the soil to help grow food later.