By: Ashleigh G. Whittington | Mar 31, 2024

Here’s a shocking fact for you: according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one third of the food produced for global human consumption is lost or wasted. That’s close to 1.3 billion tons per year! Food waste and losses are accompanied by many environmental impacts, like soil erosion, deforestation, water and air pollution, and the greenhouse gas emissions that result from production, storage, and transportation. Some of this excess waste is due to how resource-intensive food production is, but along the food-supply chain, the last stop represents the largest food waste sector: private households. There are some practices that we carry out in order to reuse resources and conserve the environment, think recycling, that even though we are told that it’s our responsibility to do these things in order to save our environment, governments and major policy changes are actually where the true impact lies (not to say you shouldn’t recycle, by all means please do that, but also consider pushing government entities to go further in their environmental policy decisions too!). Reducing food waste is something we can do that makes an BIG impact, and there are quite a few ways we can get started, so let’s dive in:

 

Master the Shelf Life of Foods

 

Many foods and drinks are stamped or labeled with a date, signifying when it should be used or sold by. These dates refer to a product’s quality so it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to throw it out once that date is up. Here’s a breakdown of what each of these labels mean:

• "Use by", "Best by", and "Best before" dates are usually found on packaged things—like ketchup, crackers, pasta, canned goods, and bottled salad dressing. These products don't usually need to be refrigerated until they are opened and, in many cases, are safe to eat beyond the listed date as long as they are stored properly.
• "Sell by" dates are displayed on perishable foods, such as meat and dairy products. It's possible that these foods may be used a few days after that date, as long as they were stored at a safe temperature.

Practice Good Food Safety

While there’s a bit of flexibility with expiration and sell-by dates, it’s important not to push it too far and risk drinking or eating something that may be spoiled. Always give foods and drinks the smell test, look for mold or discoloration, or any unusual change in texture or consistency. Here’s a few more tips for safe food practices:

• Eat leftovers within 3-4 days, or freeze them for 3-4 months
• Create ideal storage conditions:
  • Optimal refrigerator temperature: 37 degrees
  • Optimal freezer temperature: 0 degrees
  • A dark, cool cabinet away from heat sources like ovens and dishwashers is ideal for foods like cooking oils, potatoes, and nonperishable sauces and condiments
  • Store pantry foods with the closer dates up front and the older ones behind so you're more likely to grab the one that needs to be used first
  • Test your food safety knowledge (it's important to stay up to date on those temperatures for cooking foods like meat, poultry, and fish) and find out if it's time to toss those foods by checking foodsafety.gov

Meal Planning

• Check your fridge and pantry for what you already have and base your meals around those ingredients, then you can shop for which foods or ingredients you'll still need
• I try to keep my pantry staples well-stocked, like grains, pasta, beans, chicken stock, spices, pickled vegetables, and vinegar-based condiments, so I always have something on hand to start building a meal from
• Utilize that freezer!
  • I buy meat, poultry, and seafood when it's on sale and freeze it so there's a ready supply to go
  • I also freeze sliced bread, fruit, and herbs in olive oil inside ice cube trays in case they're at risk for spoiling before I can use them
• You can enjoy leftovers the next day, or freeze things like soup or chili, but you can also use things like leftover veggies and cooked meats as toppings for salad or cooked grains, inside a tortilla or pita as a sandwich, or combined in a soup

Go Further With Food

• Get creative
  • Dehydrate foods like herbs, fruits, and even veggies (kale, carrots, zucchini, beets: they can all become chips!), either in your oven or using a dehydrator
  • Make jams from fruit, infused oils or syrups from herbs, or preserve your fruits and veggies through canning
• Shop local: When you buy food close to home you reduce the carbon emissions from transport and the energy expended in packaging and production. Plus, you're supporting a local farmer in your community. If you live in the Asheville area, check out ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) for all the info on finding a market near you, how to sign up for CSA boxes, and more.
• Explore composting: I have two compost piles in my backyard, both equipped with many hungry red wiggler worms that devour all those tasty food scraps (except for meat, we don't want bears and other wildlife coming over for dinner). We then use the soil that creates for our garden beds where our veggies and herbs are growing, starting the cycle over again!If you don't have space for a compost pile, you might consider some other options:
  • Using a countertop composter, like Lomi, is a great way to recycle your food waste at home when you have limited space (or just don't want to deal with managing a pile)
  • If you are an Asheville city or Buncombe county resident, you can register for a food scrap drop-off program at these locations. There are also other companies in the area, including CompostNow, CompostAVL, and CompostAsheville
  • If you're not local to my area, check your local government's website to see if there's a similar program where you are

If all of this interests you and you’re looking for more information, check out The FoodPrint guide to reducing food waste. They have a great infographic on the ABC's of reducing food waste, and it’s a great resource to share with friends. I hope you found this informative and just remember, you don’t have to do every single thing on this list, just focus on whatever it is that you feel able to do right now and know that whatever you do, you’re making an impact!