118 Time October 21–28, 2019
GET ORGANIZED
Keeping a neat refrigerator or pantry can go
a long way toward reducing food waste. “Put
the more perishable foods right up front,”
Byker Shanks says. “It’s a constant reminder
to actually use that food before you go for
a more preserved or processed food.” How
you store perishable items matters too.
Fruits and veggies typically do better in the
humidity- controlled crisper, and greens can
stay good longer wrapped in paper towels.CONSIDER A MEAL KIT
Meal kits, which come with portioned
ingredients for homemade dishes, seem
like an environmental disaster, since they
have lots of packaging. But a recent study
found their ability to reduce food waste
outweighs their environmental downsides.
Consumers, says study co-author Shelie
Miller, should be “thinking about things
more mindfully in a systematic context.”LEARN WHAT LABELS REALLY MEAN
A study published earlier this year found
that the majority of Americans sometimes
toss packaged food when it gets close to
its “sell by” or “use by” date, even though
these labels are not federally regulated
and do not refer to food spoilage. This over-
cautiousness can lead to excess waste. A
better strategy, the USDA says, is to check
for changes in color, flavor, texture or smell.KEEP PORTION SIZES MODERATE
Overeating can be a form of food waste,
experts say, as people consume more
than they need. A recent study argued that
overindulgence is just as wasteful as food
loss, if not more. Cutting back on portions
can also have a positive impact on people’s
health. “For some consumers, that’s
more motivating than thinking about the
environment,” says Byker Shanks.TimeOff Food
Tossing uneaTen lefTovers or
slimy lettuce may feel like no big
deal. But a recent report from the
sustainability- focused World Resources
Institute (WRI) says food waste is re-
sponsible for 8% of annual greenhouse-
gas emissions. Meanwhile, 25% of agri-
cultural water use and a land area about
the size of Canada go toward producing
food that ultimately goes uneaten. If it
were a country, according to WRI, food
waste and loss would release more green-
house gases into the atmosphere than
any nation except the U.S. and China.
Cutting back on food waste could
help the environment in a few ways.
Most obviously, it would save the re-
sources and energy that go into produc-
ing unneeded food at every step of the
supply chain, from farming to pack-
aging to shipping. But as food rots in
landfills, it also produces methane, one
of the greenhouse gases that contrib-
ute to climate change—so reducing the
amount of food that goes uneaten and
eventually spoils could lower overall
emissions. Wasting perfectly good items
also contributes to food and nutrition in-
security, since fresh, healthy items tend
to be those that are wasted most, leav-
ing behind nonperishable, processed
products, says Carmen Byker Shanks,
a dietitian and associate professor of
food, nutrition and sustainable food sys-
tems at Montana State University. Food
waste cuts into our paychecks too, cost-
ing the average American family of four
roughly $1,500 a year, according to the
Natural Resources Defense Council, an
environmental- advocacy nonprofit.
Food waste is a global issue, but the
U.S. is a major offender, discarding up to
40% of its supply each year, according
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA). Governments, corporations,
restaurants, stores, farmers and other
food producers play a big part in reduc-
ing waste, according to WRI’s report. But
households are important contributors
too. Here’s how you can do your part to
reduce food waste:
Waste not, want
not, pollute not
By Jamie Ducharme
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHAEL KORFHAGE FOR TIME
BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED
The most obvious tip is also the most
important: think critically about what you
buy. “When shopping, plan your grocery list,
avoiding impulse buying or stocking up so
much that you can’t use the food by the time
it’s going to go bad,” Byker Shanks says. If
you accidentally buy more than you need,
consider freezing, canning or pickling extra
foods, or using them as components in
soups, salads, smoothies and so on.