Your wallet and the planet will thank you.
And ironically, its because more of us are buying groceries.
Worldwide, thats part of a problem that has three times the footprint of the entire global airline industry.
Simply Recipes / Lori Rice
These numbers may seem harsh, scary, and insurmountable.
But the good news is that change begins at home.Yourhome.
Here are 10 simple, small ways you’re able to help humankind do better.
Start viewing expiration dates from a lens that’s fast, loose, and flexible.Because unbeknownst to the 80% of uswho view sell-, use-, and best-by labels as expiration dates, they’re merely suggestions for taste and textural quality and not at all indicative of food safety or spoilage. Even theFDA itself has gone on recordto debunk the importance we should place on these labels, and you’ll notice that rarely do products ever even use the word “expire” anymore. Yet still, it’s incredibly common for Americans to throw out food that’s perfectly fine to eat for unsubstantiated fear of contamination or food-borne illnesses. Recognizing this is the first step to reducing food waste significantly.
Recognizing this is the first step to reducing food waste significantly.
Doing this answers the question What should I eat?
Store these boxes front and center in your pantry, refrigerators, and on your counters.
While wearede-prioritizing best-by dates, there is still some value to them—they indicate when things are in their prime, and they also can help us track purchasing timelines. This is useful for creating “Eat Me First” boxes, which is a trend of grouping food that’s near its turning point together and storing them prominently to assure prioritization of its consumption. Doing this answers the question “What should I eat?” and can easily guide your dry snacking, yogurt eating, dairy consumption—even cooking, since it works for produce, too.
Take stock of those spaces when the boxes start to look sparse so you know to re-up.
store your veggie scraps and turn them into stock
Dont justtakestock of your fading producemakestock with it.
Continue to add to the bag until its full enough to make a big batch of from-scratch stock.
Alison Bickel | Art Banner Credit: Elena Resko
All it needs is water, heat, some time and a strain, and voila!
Wash, dry, season, and bake or fry for near-instant gratification.
Try thisbasic vegetable chip recipe, to start.
Cindy Rahe; Pie crust photos: Elise Bauer
Cant get past the idea of eating what youre used to perceiving as garbage?
I also use dry peels to clean and freshen up my garbage disposalthisplumber-approved tutorialshows you how.
Andaccording to the EPA, more than 30% of what you toss is compostable.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Chloe Jeong / Retailers below
Eggshells go in the pile, too.Heres a list of things that can be composted.
Holding onto them that way will also help avoid attracting mold or pests as you gather.
Labeling and dating them will help you craft your freezer Eat Me Now box.
Emma Christensen
Be smart about how you store your ingredients
Did you know refrigerated tomatoes will turn mealy?
Or that you should be storing your asparagus like flower bouquets?
Or that you’re able to extend the shelf-life of berries by rinsing them in vinegar?
Lori Rice
Heres a list of popular items and how to properly store them, to start.
Before you go to the grocery store, do a quick inventory of your refrigerator and pantry.
Alison Bickel
Alison Bickel | Art Banner Credit: Elena Resko
When you prioritize reducing food waste, it’ll reframe the way you approach grocery shopping. Plan a few meals before you make your grocery list so that you buy only what you’re looking forward to eating—not what you might feel like having one day (maybe). You don’t have to stick with your plan; give yourself flexibility to riff and throw in other ingredients that need to be used up. But by getting excited about an anchor dish or two for the week, you’ll feel more motivated to follow through with using what you’re shopping for.
