I’ve talked about reducing food waste quite a bit on this blog, but it looks like the issue is getting worse. A new study says that Americans waste 40%–almost half!–of their food, according to the Natural Resources Defence Council. An average family of four wastes $2,275 in food each year, or 20 pounds per person per month.
Even though my food waste isn’t anywhere near half of my food bill, this is an issue everyone can do better on. I’m already doing better, too. Instead of tossing some old pears today, I put them in the food dehydrator and am making dried pears instead. However, there was no saving that 1/3 of a watermelon that had mold on it. Into the compost it went!
Here are some posts on reducing food waste:
How to Reduce Food Waste
Using Up Commonly Wasted Foods
Fridge Eat Me First Box
10 Things To Do With Overripe Fruit
100 Things To Do With Lemons
5 Things To Do With Stale Bread
What To Do With Milk and Cream
How To Freeze Tomatoes
Use It Up
Use It Up II
Are you considering food thrown to the chickens/critters to be waste?
I’ve never really thought of food passed on to the critters (or even our compost pile) as wasted, since it fulfills it’s foodie-destiny by being somebody’s meal. Now, food tossed into a garbage can, and eventually an airless landfill – that is a waste!
I’ll be interested to see you number breakdown. I’d love to do something of the sort too, but being honest, know that I’d never last a week weighing everything, let alone a month!
Michelle, good question. You’re right that it is better for food to end up in compost (thus the garden) or eaten by the chickens instead of in the garbage can/landfill, so it’s not a waste in that sense. But it is wasted money in the food budget. When I buy food that I don’t eat, it’s money that I didn’t need to spend (and of course, human food is more expensive than chicken food). Finding a secondary use for it in the compost or as chicken feed keeps it from being a total waste, but for me, it’s still something to curb if I can.
I agree with Michelle and you too that when we can still use the food in some productive way, it’s not a waste. But I understand what you’re saying about the food budget.
We have a sort of feast or famine approach to waste. One week, there doesn’t seem to be enough and the next, a lot gets wasted which just makes me sick to see.
Thanks for the links. I’m going to try to keep a list too and see where my family can do better. 40% is shameful when there are so many people who would give anything for that 40%.