How you set fridge up to cut down on food waste
Did you know that food waste accounts for 22 percent of landfill content in the United States and that a third of all food produced globally is discarded?
Food waste is terrible for our finances, but it is also bad for the environment. When food is thrown away, all of the resources used to cultivate, ship, package, and distribute it are wasted. According to the US Department of Agriculture, food in landfills is one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, generating methane, 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
On the consumer side, however, throwing food out is a loss of money and time spent grocery shopping. Avoiding the end-of-week dump of uneaten leftovers and wilting vegetables might seem difficult (believe me, I've been there).
As a result, our sister site Grateful enlisted the aid of four experts to uncover their top strategies for reducing food waste at home.
Here's what they had to say about it.
Learn about the climate of your refrigerator to prevent food waste.
According to Julia Watkins, the renowned blogger behind Simply Living Well, ensuring your food doesn't spoil may be as simple as monitoring the thermometer on your fridge. "The temperature should ideally be about or slightly below 40 degrees. Tender items like salad greens may freeze if it gets much colder than that; if it gets much warmer, sensitive things like meat and dairy may degrade "she claims.
Furthermore, Watkins notes that certain regions of the fridge are better suited for different food categories, so make sure your goods are in their best positions and that your thermometer is accurate.
According to her, foods that don't degrade easily, such as condiments and salad dressings, can be stored in the refrigerator's door, which is the hottest place. Juices, yogurt, hummus, and other goods with a long shelf life can be stored on the upper shelves, which are the warmest portions of the refrigerator. Foods that degrade quickly, such as milk and chicken, should be kept on the lowest shelves and drawers, the coldest portions of the refrigerator.
If your refrigerator has crisper drawers, Watkins suggests utilizing them for fruits (low-humidity crisper) and veggies (high-humidity crisper).
Consider your refrigerator to be an indoor garden.
According to plant-based living advocate Jessie Snyder, your fridge should be cared for rather than being piled up on grocery day and forgotten about. "My best recommendation for decreasing food waste is to treat your refrigerator like an indoor garden, checking in on it regularly and moving items about to determine what needs to be utilized."
Snyder also suggests inverting your meal planning process, shifting from buying things to using things you bought. "Rather than developing lists of new goods to buy in order to cook a certain dish, base your meals on what you already have."
Purchase fewer items and browse more frequently
Alison Wu, CEO of Wu Haus, advocates buying fewer items at a time and instead of shopping more frequently for what you will need in the coming days to help prevent food waste at home. "I prefer going to the grocery shop every few days and stocking up on things I know I'll use soon," she adds.
Maia Well, a writer, yoga instructor, and environmental activist, suggests preparation for food shopping by observing your waste tendencies. "Take notice of the foods you usually toss out in your fridge and buy them in lower quantities," Well advises. "Before purchasing anything perishable, consider what you will use it for and when you will use it.
Snyder believes that shopping less and more frequently can help reduce waste.
"It's remarkable how little you need and how easily you can overbuy," she adds.
"Unless there is snowfall on the way or your grocery shop is more than 20 miles away, chances are you can go down for anything later in the week if it is really necessary.
Make yourself go to the shop rather than over-purchasing and causing garbage."
If you have limited time or a local grocery shop is inconvenient, make a list based on a meal plan to avoid overbuying.
Use your freezer to its full potential.
"One of my favorite strategies to reduce food waste is to freeze it," Well explains. "I take two techniques here: preparing or prepping large amounts of goods to freeze for future use, and preserving leftovers that I know I won't consume before they go bad in the fridge."
You may also toss wilting vegetables or odds and ends into a freezer container to use in soups and stews or freeze fruit that is beyond its prime (as long as it isn't moldy) for smoothies or desserts.
Make sure you're correctly storing food and extending its shelf life.
Proper storage can help to extend the life of perishable materials.
"Leafy greens, for example, will last considerably longer if you keep them in an airtight container after cleaning with a gently soaked dishcloth. Save The Food offers a fantastic resource for this "Well explains.
We also keep basic pantry products in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
"Refrigerate pantry ingredients like nuts and seeds to extend their life," she says.
"I keep all of my nuts and seeds in mason jars in my refrigerator, which doubles their shelf life (three months in the pantry versus six months in the fridge)."
Make use of any leftover meals you have.
Odds and ends, scraps, and leftovers may be converted and reused for future meals, reducing food waste. "Use stems from fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, and other herbs that would otherwise be composted or thrown away in dips, pestos, and blended sauces," We suggest. Leftover vegetables may be added to a soup, stew, or frittata, or you can construct a macro bowl with all of your leftover vegetables, grains, and meats.
Expiration dates should be taken with a grain of salt.
Watkins says that even if anything in your fridge or cupboard has beyond its expiration date, it may still be safe to eat. "Sell-by dates are not federally controlled and are sometimes mistaken for expiry dates. Even if they have expiration dates, they are only estimations of when items will attain optimal quality."