March 23, 2019—In the past few days, did you toss out some food you never got around to eating?
If so, you've got heaps of company: By some estimates, the average family of four in the U.S. chucks out nearly $1,500 worth of food and drinks ever year.
These six tips can help you make a big dent in what you discard—and you'll do more than save money. Tossed food ends up rotting in landfills, where it releases methane, a greenhouse gas. So by throwing away less food, you'll do a bit to help the environment too.
1. Buy just what you need. Shop in your fridge first. In other words, eat what you've already bought before it spoils. Brainstorm meals you can build with ingredients you have. At the store, buy only as much food as you can eat or freeze in the next few days, particularly if it's perishable.
2. Store smart. Some fruits and veggies give off natural gases as they ripen that make other produce near them go bad faster. Culprits include tomatoes, apples, apricots, cantaloupe and unripe bananas. Store these foods by themselves. Keep fruits and veggies in different bins too. And don't wash berries until you're ready to eat them—they're less likely to get moldy.
3. Know the shelf-life lingo. “Sell-by” dates on perishable food are only a guide to a food's prime freshness—not a red flag for tossing. Chances are you can still use food a few days past the date, as long as you kept it at a safe temperature.
4. Don't be a perfectionist. Cut away bruises and blemishes on produce instead of ditching it. The rest of the fruit or veggie is still good!
5. Get creative. For example, turn stale bread into croutons, sauté beet tops as a side dish, or use vegetable scraps for soup stock.
6. Make the most of leftovers. Add them to casseroles, frittatas, soups and smoothies. Or just heat them up for another meal or snack.
Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency