Last Updated on June 23, 2023 by Create Better Health
Did you know statistics show that over one third of the food in the United States is wasted? Food waste is a major problem, not only because of ongoing hunger issues, but also because it is expensive. If food is purchased and gets thrown away, that can take a toll on the budget. Luckily, there are a few small and simple steps you and your family can take to prevent food waste in your home.
For additional information, you can see the USU extension article below that outlines these tips and more.
1: Meal Planning: The biggest way that you can prevent food waste is to meal plan. This helps you to only buy food that you need and not buy foods that you may not use and would get thrown away. When you meal plan, you are also more likely to make a list and stick to it, which helps you to save money on groceries.
2: Plan meals using foods in your pantry: Try to plan at least one night per week to eat leftovers, so that food in the fridge doesn’t go bad and get thrown away. Also, when planning meals for the week, try to look through your pantry and fridge first. If there are ingredients that can be used in meals, use those ingredients first!
3. Look at the expiration dates of products: Many people are surprised to learn that expiration dates do not indicate the safety of the food, that is just the date when the food starts to dip in quality. Do not immediately throw out food that has passed the expiration date, as it may still be good to eat. However, use caution and trust your senses of sight, smell, and taste to test if the food is still good.
4. Portion Control: When serving meals, serve smaller portions to start. This helps to reduce the amount of food that isn’t eaten and gets thrown away off of the plates. You can always serve seconds if needed, and if there are leftovers, they can be reheated for another meal.
Which of these tips do you plan on implementing? This week I am using food out of my fridge and pantry to create a meal with foods that would normally go to waste. Pizza is a great meal to clean out cupboards and the fridge. You can use leftover bread, buns, or tortillas for the crust, leftover pasta sauce, and any veggies or meat leftover from other meals! Try this Anytime Pizza recipe below.
This recipe is so flexible. Substitute pita bread or hamburger buns for French bread, and add lunchmeat, and leftover vegetables. Things like onions, spinach, or pineapple work well. Have fun using leftovers this week, and come back and comment what you did to make this recipe your own!