31
MAR
5 Habits to Reduce Food Waste, Right Now
Did you know we toss out nearly 40% of the U.S. food supply? Food waste in this country is excessive, expensive, and environmentally harmful. The good news: We can all do our part to help reduce it.
Follow our 5 tips to stretch your budget, and lessen your carbon footprint, and cut food waste. (We’re looking at you, freckled bananas.)
1. Make a Plan.
Minimize food waste by making a shopping list – and sticking to it. Much of our food waste comes from impulse purchases at the store, but delivery from Shipt can help with that. Map out your meals for the week to use all your produce and meat before they go bad. At the end of the week, take stock of your food waste to see how much you really need to buy next time.
2. Love Your Freezer.
Want a quick win? Freeze extra produce before it gets overripe. About $1,600 worth of produce per family is wasted annually, so make your freezer your best friend. Stock it with leftover fruits and veggies – like carrots and zucchini for broth and avocados and bananas for smoothies.
3. Eat the Ugly Produce Too.
Don’t skip the misfits. You know the ones – the imperfect apples and wonky potatoes. Unrealistic expectations for food appearance contribute to a majority of food waste. But as long as your fruits and veggies are fresh, they are still perfect for eating.
4. Get Smart About Food Storage.
A whopping 40% of the U.S. food supply goes to waste each year. Simply storing your groceries correctly is one of the best ways to make your food last longer – and to help reverse that trend. Apples and avocados can keep for weeks in the fridge, while staples such as onions and garlic belong in a dark pantry to avoid spoiling early.
5. Compost, Compost, Compost!
Every time you cook, save those scraps for the compost bin. Most of the landfills in the U.S. consist of food waste and contribute to the greenhouse gas problem. Just think of the impact if we all collected our scraps and took them to a local compost zone. Composting is also a great way to get the whole family involved in a zero-waste lifestyle.
Ready to adopt a few of these new habits? Let a shopper bring exactly what you need for the week with same-day delivery.
1. Make a Plan.
Minimize food waste by making a shopping list – and sticking to it. Much of our food waste comes from impulse purchases at the store, but delivery from Shipt can help with that. Map out your meals for the week to use all your produce and meat before they go bad. At the end of the week, take stock of your food waste to see how much you really need to buy next time.
2. Love Your Freezer.
Want a quick win? Freeze extra produce before it gets overripe. About $1,600 worth of produce per family is wasted annually, so make your freezer your best friend. Stock it with leftover fruits and veggies – like carrots and zucchini for broth and avocados and bananas for smoothies.
3. Eat the Ugly Produce Too.
Don’t skip the misfits. You know the ones – the imperfect apples and wonky potatoes. Unrealistic expectations for food appearance contribute to a majority of food waste. But as long as your fruits and veggies are fresh, they are still perfect for eating.
4. Get Smart About Food Storage.
A whopping 40% of the U.S. food supply goes to waste each year. Simply storing your groceries correctly is one of the best ways to make your food last longer – and to help reverse that trend. Apples and avocados can keep for weeks in the fridge, while staples such as onions and garlic belong in a dark pantry to avoid spoiling early.
5. Compost, Compost, Compost!
Every time you cook, save those scraps for the compost bin. Most of the landfills in the U.S. consist of food waste and contribute to the greenhouse gas problem. Just think of the impact if we all collected our scraps and took them to a local compost zone. Composting is also a great way to get the whole family involved in a zero-waste lifestyle.
Ready to adopt a few of these new habits? Let a shopper bring exactly what you need for the week with same-day delivery.