While it sometimes seems impossible to eliminate food waste altogether, you can considerably reduce it and less food waste means money saved. Unfortunately, we have become a wasteful society in general; it`s time to get back to basics, save money and reduce food waste.
- Shop Frugally and Responsibly. Avoid shopping when you`re hungry – that usually leads to an overflowing shopping basket. And be reasonable – buy groceries your family will eat and what you`re likely to need for a given period of time – one to two weeks. Be focused and avoid a buying frenzy. Overstocking on vegetables and fruits they can`t possibly all eat during that time, leads to more waste. And you can usually save money with less trips to the supermarket, so do without an ingredient or food and look for an alternative, rather than go back to the store.
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- Use Proper Food Storage. Food waste is often the result of inadequate resealing that lets air, moisture and pests (or pets) in. Double bag or vacuum seal for the freezer or long term storage and use plastic storage bins and containers for dry goods that will be opened often, to keep in freshness and make resealing a breeze.
- Rotate Foods – Use Oldest First. A basic order of food usage so that foods are used before quality has deteriorated. That also gives you a quick visual of your food inventory and reduces unnecessary buying. Rotating foods should include all food storage including freezer foods, fresh, refrigerated or canned.
- Practice Good Freezer Management. That includes proper packaging, labeling and rotating, as well as following recommended freezer food storage guidelines. Avoid overstocking the freezer where it might be difficult to see what`s in there and impossible to find and retrieve food. That usually just leads to more buying.
- Apportion Appropriately. Keep only enough fresh vegetables and fruits supply to meet your family`s needs. Bag and freeze the rest to avoid waste. When freezing, make sure portions are adequate for serving, before sealing bags.
