Make Your Produce Last Longer
The grocery store is a normal stop for many American families. How many times do you find yourself in the aisles? Once every couple days? Once a week or even once a month? Many households go out to the grocery stores once a week. This could be to a neighborhood store, a supermarket, a farmer’s market, a superstore, a specialty store or a possible combination of the establishments. However, a majority of families unfortunately throw out their food just as much as they purchase it.
An Ongoing Problem
Food waste is a growing problem in the United States. Experts estimate that about 40% of food products is thrown out annually. A household of four will waste an estimated $1,500 worth of goods in just one year. To put it into perspective, that is equal to $161 billion, or about 80 million pounds of food waste. The statistic is astounding. Food waste is a primary component in many landfills today, accounting for about one-quarter of waste. The most common kinds of food found in these landfills are dairy products, vegetables and fruits. However, what is causing these massive amounts of waste?
Top Causes Of Food Waste
The biggest culprit behind food waste is decay or assumed decay. When food is thrown out, many of the times it is still edible. Unfortunately, consumers sometimes misunderstand the expiration date printed on products or toss out food simply because they do not wish to eat it anymore. As terrible as that sounds, there’s still hope! There are still multiple ways you can make your produce last longer—decreasing the amount of waste you generate, reducing pollution, protecting the planet, and even sparing some cash in your wallet at the same time.
Track & Plan
The first step to helping your food stay fresher requires some hands-on research. Keep track of what foods you are trashing and how often. Are you throwing it out because it’s spoiled or because you want to make space in your fridge? Take note of any patterns that stick out and make sure to calculate how much money is going in your trash. It’s important to see what percentage of your spending is going to waste. Do you find that you have a tendency to overbuy when at the grocery stores or are you purchasing the wrong foods? To help avoid unnecessary food waste, plan a weekly menu ahead of time to help prevent any impulsive purchases and take the guesswork out of what you need for the week.
If you have any leftover foods sitting in the fridge, consider throwing it into a compost heap as a possible way to utilize your food. In addition, freeze any food that you think you won’t be utilizing or eating right away.
Consider Utilizing The Latest Technology
Besides tracking and planning, you might want to upgrade your refrigerator. If that might cost too much, consider installing a purification system to your current fridge that utilizes ozone technology and ionization to decrease ethylene. In turn, this can help your produce last longer. Also, storing fruits and vegetables correctly will help prevent early spoilage.
For more information on how you can make your produce at home stay fresh, look over the following infographic.
