Tips to Reduce Food Waste 🍊

At the grocery store or eating out:

• Pre-plan meals and wrote out grocery lists to prevent overbuying & check your fridge and pantry before going out.

• If available, buy “Ugly” or imperfect produce (produce that has imperfection but is NOT damaged or rotten). You can often find “Ugly” produce at discounted prices.

• When eating out, ask for smaller portions and take-out boxes to prevent plate waste.

Kitchen Storage & Prep

• Keep your fridge temperature at 40° F or below to keep food safe.

• Your freezer should be 0° F.

• Look at information on how to safely store different foods (https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts).

• Refrigerate peeled fruits and veggies to prolong freshness.

• Use your freezer! Freeze foods to store them and keep from going bad sooner.

• Organize your fridge! Put foods that will go bad soon in one section.

• Extra food in your pantry? Consider donating to a local food bank.

• Educate yourself on product dating. Learn the difference between “Best If Used By” (may not be the best quality but is still completely safe to eat.) and “Use By” (may have safety concerns over time).

• Before throwing something out, see if you can incorporate it into your next meal or even compost it.

Check out this Cold Food Storage Chart created by the FDA:

Cold_Food_Storage_Chart.pdf

Download PDF • 22KB

Source: https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/tips-reduce-food-waste