Reduce your food-waste footprint by following these seven tips:
1) Buy smaller amounts of perishable foods so you use them more quickly.
2) Freeze, preserve, or can surplus fruits and vegetables.
3) Wash berries only when you are ready to use them to prevent mold.
4) Plan your weekly meals and include ways to use leftovers, such as stir-fries, soups, smoothies, and frittatas.
5) Buy only the items on your grocery-shopping list.
6) Order only what you know you can finish when dining out and take leftovers home to eat later.
7) Compost food scraps.
Food Waste by the Numbers
70,000,000,000:
The estimated pounds of food Americans discard each year — more than 20 pounds per person monthly.
17%:
The percentage of food left uneaten at restaurants; 55 percent of restaurant-meal leftovers are not taken home.
1/4:
The portion of all wasted food needed to relieve the 795 million people worldwide suffering from hunger and malnourishment.
$1,600:
The estimated annual cost of food and beverages thrown out by the average American family of four.
24%:
The percentage of water used for growing food that’s subsequently wasted.
23%:
The percentage of all methane emissions in the United States generated by the decomposition of wasted food.
1/3:
The percentage of all food that is wasted worldwide.
Comments (0)