Health Start Foundation
  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Programs
    • Program Overview >
      • Our Impact
    • Snack Science Video Series
    • Research
    • Testimonials
  • Get Involved
  • Events
    • Austin Marathon Gives
    • HealthStart Harvest
  • News & Resources
    • Recipes
    • Announcements
    • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Donate Now

Blog

10 Ways To Stop Food Waste

4/27/2021

7 Comments

 
Picture
Did you know that 33% of all food produced globally is lost or wasted every year? That’s a lot of food! All the food we waste represents a nutritious meal that could have been provided to someone in need. Additionally, when we waste food, we are also wasting the resources, such as water, energy, land, and dirt, that play a role in growing that food. Addressing the food waste issue is an essential part of building healthier communities! 

To raise awareness, Stop Food Waste Day is celebrated on April 28th! You can find out more about Stop Food Waste Day on their website. 

Here are 10 ways that you can reduce food waste:

1. Avoid buying in bulk.

Picture

​A key to reducing food waste is to shop smart for your groceries. Although it may be convenient to do a big grocery store haul every few weeks, this actually contributes to a lot of food waste. We tend to buy a lot of food that we don’t need! Bulk shopping can also lead to a higher likelihood of your food expiring. Going to the grocery store more frequently and buying less during these trips can play a large role in reducing the food waste in your home. A good tip is to finish all of the food you bought previously before making another trip to the grocery store!
​

2. Create a meal schedule.

Planning what recipes you want to make for that week can be super helpful in reducing food waste. If you are the type of person who likes to eat different meals every day, you can plan to make a smaller serving so you don’t have leftovers. When you plan ahead, you can determine exactly what groceries you need from the store and how much of everything you may need. This will help you from overbuying! Try to create a habit of sticking to your grocery list at the store!
Picture
Here’s a 5 Day Meal Plan using HealthStart dinner recipes targeted for a family of 4! By planning out how much each meal serves, you can figure out when you’ll need to cook a new dish, and you can prepare the ingredients you might need for that week! 

  • For those busy Mondays, try making this Quick and Easy Veggie Chili.
  • For Tuesday and Wednesday, try this Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce that serves 8 to last you two days! 
  • On Thursday, you can change it up by making a rice dish like this Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice. 
  • To celebrate Friday, a pizza party night will be extra fun when you make this Easy Veggie Pizza.​
​

3. Try to save leftovers.

Picture

​Sometimes, we get super full after eating a delicious meal, and we are left with lots of food. Try not to throw that food away! Instead, you can store your leftovers in a container and pop them into the fridge to eat the next day. Remember to check that you don’t have any more leftover food in the fridge before making something new to reduce your food waste! Keeping your fridge organized is an excellent way to help you remember that you still have that leftover food!
​​

4. Store your food correctly.

When you buy produce, research where to store these foods in your home to make sure that they don’t ripen and spoil too quickly. Some fruits and vegetables are better stored at room temperature, and some are better stored in the refrigerator. Additionally, read the labels of food and follow any suggested storing instructions! 
​

Picture


​5. Try freezing your food.

Picture

​An excellent way to preserve your food is by freezing it! You can freeze leftovers, fruits, and vegetables, bread, and even cheese to eat or use later. Frozen fruits and greens are also perfect for throwing into a blender for a nice, cold smoothie! Check out B and L’s Strawberry Smoothie recipe for a refreshing dessert!
​

6. Don’t be afraid to try out new recipes.

Picture

When you have an ingredient that looks like it will spoil soon, look up a new recipe to try that uses that ingredient! By doing this, you can avoid having to throw away that ingredient once it has gone bad, which reduces your food waste. It’s always exciting to try something new, and there are so many delicious recipes out there! The Stop Food Waste Day website has some great recipes that you can try!
​​

7. Don’t judge your produce by its cover.

Picture

​‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ actually applies to produce as well! It is common to go to the grocery store and pick out the fruit with no bruises or scratches. This leads to the “imperfect” produce being leftover in the store and thrown away as food waste. In most cases, these “ugly” fruits and vegetables are just as good as the “perfect” produce, so don’t be afraid to pick them out. Some grocery stores may be selling their imperfect produce at a discounted rate, so this is a good way to reduce food waste and save money! 


8. Preserve your food.

Picture

There are so many ways to preserve food, including drying, pickling, fermenting, canning and freezing! You can make things like sauces, jams, and pickled fruits and vegetables. These can be fun and easy ways to reduce your waste and can provide your family with some delicious snacks to enjoy! Try out this method by The Kitchn to
quick pickle any vegetable. With just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes, this pickled recipe is perfect for those veggies you haven’t eaten yet! 

​

9. Try composting.

Picture

Composting is a sustainable way to make your food scraps into a form of nutrients and energy for your plants to grow. Compost is made by the process of decomposition. Decomposition breaks down things into smaller pieces. Dead plants, most natural foods, wood, cotton, and leaves can decompose in the soil. Gum, metal, plastic, and glass can not be decomposed in the soil. Compost can be super beneficial for gardening and can be a great way to reduce food waste!
​

10. Raise awareness.

Picture

​Educate yourself, your friends, and your family about why food waste is an issue and why it is crucial to take action! Stop Food Waste Day has provided a
toolkit on their website on how you can show your support for the fight against food waste. You can take the pledge and share social media posts to raise awareness! 

References:
  • Compass Group. (2019, April 10). Compass group leads fight against food waste: Stop food waste day 2019. Compass USA. https://www.compass-usa.com/compass-group-leads-fight-against-food-waste/
  • ​Kubala, J. (2017, November 20). 20 easy ways to reduce your food waste. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/reduce-food-waste#TOC_TITLE_HDR_16
  • Stop food waste day. (n.d.). Compass Group Stop Food Waste Day. https://www.stopfoodwasteday.com/en/index.html

7 Comments
Rubbish Removal link
9/16/2021 11:50:16 am

Thanks for sharing this great insight!

Reply
Hailey Miller link
2/22/2022 11:54:17 pm

It helped when you said that food should be stored correctly to avoid food waste. I would imagine that any catering business owner would want to provide quality food to the guests and avoid spoilage. I think they should look for a reliable company that can provide refrigerated trailers for their special events.

Reply
Jack link
8/29/2022 06:31:20 pm

Great website

Reply
get blog our link
10/25/2022 01:32:20 am

Click on the given link to read more such post.https://getblogour.com/food/
Thank you

Reply
shohel rana link
1/3/2023 09:53:36 am

Thank you for such a great post. Enjoyed this post very much and I appreciate it a lot. I look for posts like this. I look forward to your next post. And I saved your site as a favorite to check out new posts on your next site....<a
href="https://worldfashiontips.com/16-mexican-food-truck-menus-that-will-make-your-mouth-water/"> Mexican Food Truck Menus </a>

Reply
Alex link
1/16/2023 09:23:21 am

Great tips i have ever seen

Reply
happened link
2/2/2023 02:32:59 pm

Thanks so much for this posts.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Want to be notified of new blogs?
    Subscribe
    Blog menu
HealthStart Foundation is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, tax exempt organization - EIN: 27-1888642

FOLLOW US
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

who we are

About Us
Our Impact
Our Team
Our Partners

programs

Program Overview
Research
Testimonials

get involved

Get Involved

news & resources

Recipes
Announcements
Blog

other

Contact Us
Donate Now

Privacy Policy

Surveys by QuestionPro: QuestionPro offers a suite of features and question types - all for free. We now can run unlimited surveys and gather unlimited responses!
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Programs
    • Program Overview >
      • Our Impact
    • Snack Science Video Series
    • Research
    • Testimonials
  • Get Involved
  • Events
    • Austin Marathon Gives
    • HealthStart Harvest
  • News & Resources
    • Recipes
    • Announcements
    • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Donate Now