We all know that food gets wasted. But it’s startling that 40% of the food that’s grown in the U.S. food supply goes into landfills every year.
Food waste occurs all along the food chain, from production to consumption. Many factors go into this including, food damage, contamination, dropped produce, food spoilage…the list goes on.
We are all a part of at least one part of the food chain: consumption. The silver lining in this statistic is that there's something we can do about it as consumers! Much of the food we waste happens in our kitchens, so here are some ways YOU can reduce your food waste and make an impact!
1. Smarter Buying
This will look different for every household. This may mean that you plan your meals before heading to the grocery store, organize your kitchen so you know what you have, or eat your leftovers that tend to migrate to the back of the fridge! When you go out to eat, plan to bring leftovers home, or share with a friend if you don't think you'll finish your own meal. Consider freezing leftover meals, herbs, fruit, or sauces to use later if you notice they are getting close to going bad. Buy less! Or, buy more, and preserve it!
2. Take Expiration Dates with a Grain of Salt.
We have all noticed that (sell-by, best-by, use-by) are very confusing. Most of these are arbitrary dates that are more about moving products through stores than they are about health concerns. Everything has its own unique expiration date, depending on how you store it and if you put in the effort of preserving it. Don’t assume food needs to get thrown away just because of the date!
3. Compost
Composting diverts food away from landfills and turns food waste into healthy, vibrant soil instead of contributing to increased greenhouse gases while rotting in landfills. This, in turn, creates more sustainable farming practices, produces more nutrient-dense food, and allows our soil to sequester more carbon, which combats climate change. There are many affordable ways to compost at home or through a service. We recommend bringing your scraps to GoFarm during our Local Food Share distributions! We team up with the City of Golden Sustainability Office to offer free compost pick-up services for GoFarm shareholders and customers.
4. Eat Locally and Join a CSA or Local Food Share
Eating locally supports local farmers and bridges your connection to the food you consume. You will also support a system where food is grown more sustainably and has fewer supply chain inefficiencies and disruptions. By buying your food from GoFarm or another CSA, you are supporting a model that is SO BENEFICIAL to our local and global environment.
If we can all start making some or all of these changes, you will not just be wasting less at home, but you’ll be helping the system become more efficient.
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This blog was originally posted in 2019: Updated March 10th, 2025.
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