How to reduce food waste

If you have a recipe in mind, buy exactly what it calls for. Let’s say you find a recipe that requires two peppers, like this Veggie Chili Cornbread Pot Pie. Buy only two peppers and stay away from prepackaged bundles that come with three or four. Rather than paying more money for something you might not fully use, buy loose produce instead. Lots of supermarkets also have bulk food bins with things like nuts, beans, and grains in them. These are helpful because you can select exactly how much you need.

“FIFO” is an accounting term that stands for “First In, First Out.” Companies use it to help manage their inventories—and it can help you, too. Once you’ve returned from your grocery trip, go through your own food “inventory.” Move old products in your pantry, fridge, or freezer to the front so you use them first, and place the new items in the back. Items you can’t see are easily forgotten, which is why they often go bad. Using the FIFO method to reduce food waste helps remind you to use the items you buy.

We all know it’s smart to shop with a grocery list. Doing so can help you save money and avoid impulse buys. Making a shopping list is also a simple way to help reduce food waste. Plan your meals and ingredients ahead of time so you know exactly what you need. Luckily, we’re here to help! See a Ready Set Eat recipe you like? You can shop all the ingredients right on the recipe page with just a few clicks. Not much of a planner? Shop our curated bundles for an even easier experience, whether you’re looking for better-for-you picks or big, bold flavor to take on the go. Oh, and one last thing: Never shop on an empty stomach! Hangry decisions are usually bad decisions.

Channel your inner competitive chef and cook without a recipe one night a week. Instead, use only what you already have at home. If you find yourself struggling to come up with something to make, check out our recipes. It’s OK if you don’t have all the ingredients required. You can easily browse recipes with the main ingredients you do have and freestyle the rest. Who knew reducing food waste could be creative? Make it a family activity for even more fun! Each person picks an ingredient and comes up with a way to use it.

This might seem obvious, but it bears repeating: Eat your leftovers! Lots of people overcook with the best intentions—to make a meal once and enjoy it again and again—but what actually happens is they either forget about it or just don’t want to eat chicken stir-fry three days in a row. We get it! Still, it’s important to make a conscious effort to eat your leftovers because once they go bad, they go straight into the trash—right along with your money. If you don’t feel like eating the same thing for dinner the next day, then eat leftovers for lunch the day after. You’ll save money at the store and from not eating out. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll be reducing food waste.

So you don’t want to waste food, but you don’t want leftovers, either? There’s a simple solution to that problem: Improvise! Let’s say you have some bell peppers left from a delicious meal you ate a few days ago, eggs that are about to expire, and some tomatoes that are softening. Sounds like you have the ingredients for Fiesta Egg Bites! We have plenty more Breakfast for Dinner ideas where that came from, too.

There might not be a single right way to cook, but you can bet your last bouillon cube there’s a proper way to store food. Doing it incorrectly is a surefire way to let food go to waste. So how do you reduce food waste by storing food the right way?

• Store all leftovers in airtight, leakproof containers or wraps.
• Refrigerate all leftovers within two hours of cooking.
• Divide your leftovers into small portions. Bacteria grows between 40°F and 140°F. Dividing your leftovers into small portions allows the food to cool down more quickly, which will minimize the time food is exposed to bacteria.

Take a look at the foods you and your family consume on a weekly basis. Are there items that never get eaten? Or that maybe you use only a little bit of? Taking note of what you’re throwing out can help you realize you might not need as much as you originally thought. The next time you go grocery shopping, buy fewer of the repeat offenders or leave them off the list altogether.