How Can I Stop Wasting So Much Food?
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
A lot of our clients here at Your Latina Nutrition experience guilt about wasting food, exacerbated by many of our family’s humble beginnings. Plus, food is love in our culture, so throwing it out can be seen as a form of disrespect and rejection.
The “clean your plate” mentality many Latinas are raised with makes wasting food seem unacceptable and maybe even shameful.
In this blog, we’ll explore the realities of food waste in the U.S. and share some strategies to reduce food waste.
Food Waste Statistics
According to Feeding America, 80 million tons of food is wasted in the United States each year. While that number might feel overwhelming, have you ever wondered about the source of all that food waste?
Many of us likely think about the food we individually throw out if we don’t finish our meal or use up our groceries. However, a lot of food waste is generated before the food even reaches us, starting at the farm and continuing through manufacturing and beyond.
That’s not to say that we can’t work on reducing our individual food waste at home, but knowing other sources of food waste helps put things in perspective and hopefully takes away a little guilt.
This chart from the EPA demonstrates the main sources of food waste and how it’s currently managed:
The Connection Between Food Scarcity And Food Waste
Ourselves, our parents, or our grandparents may have immigrated to the U.S. and come from humble beginnings. Additionally, food is something special, a symbol of love, and is not to be wasted in our Latine culture.
Having a history of food insecurity or poverty certainly impacts one’s relationship to food (Food insecurity is linked with higher rates of disordered eating and eating disorders). Therefore, it makes sense that there would be guilt about wasting food. It was once a scarce resource, so wasting it now might not feel right.
Yet, it can be challenging not to waste food, especially as our family dynamics shift. You may have grown up in a Latine household filled with a multitude of generations. There were a lot of people so there was a lot of food to be cooked and a lot of people to eat said food.
But if you live alone or in a smaller household now, it might be challenging to cook for less people or only for yourself. If so, you’re not alone.
In a USDA Interview on food waste, Lauren Moreno, who received her Ph.D. studying food waste at the University of California Berkeley, states, “Decisions and choices made by consumers are influenced by decisions made up and down the food supply chain. For example, people who live alone cite that it is difficult to purchase food in quantities that make sense for them, which leads to regular over-purchasing.” This is a source of food waste that again, is largely out of our control.
How to Reduce Your Food Waste
Even with the knowledge that lots of food waste occurs before we even get the food, we can still work to reduce our food waste to minimize our carbon footprint and save some money. Here are some tips to reduce your food waste:
Don’t be fooled by “expiration” dates. Know that the “use by”, “sell by”, or “best by” dates on food packaging is not related to food safety, but rather an estimate of optimal food quality, per the FDA. So, you don’t necessarily have to throw out food when the “best by” date arrives.
Lean on frozen produce over fresh. If you’re someone who buys a ton of fresh produce that ends up getting thrown out, embrace frozen produce! It’s more affordable, just as nutritious, and stays fresh much longer.
Buy “imperfect” foods. Look into buying from companies, such as Misfits Market, that are working to reduce food waste by selling overproduced or “imperfect” produce that grocery stores won’t sell.
Notice your food waste patterns and seek alternatives. Note what foods you often waste and see if there are alternatives to preserve them. Maybe it means you buy less, buy frozen, or freeze what’s left instead of throwing it out.
Final Thoughts
Food waste is a real problem in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you. Be mindful of how your personal and family history informs your relationship with food waste and let go of guilt.
That being said, there are definitely ways to reduce how much food you waste at home, from buying frozen produce instead of fresh produce to understanding that “best by” dates don’t represent the safety of food.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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