US Families Are Throwing Away $2,000 In Food Each Year
While the economy may be in the dumps that hasn’t stopped the average American family from throwing away up to $2,000 per year in food that goes uneaten.
According to a recent study the average family throws away $500 to $2,000 per year in food with Vegetables accounting for 25% of that avoidable waste.
All together 33 million tons of food ended up in landfills and incinerators in 2010 and that number didn’t include any food products thrown into composts.
Research suggests that shoppers overestimate how much food they actually need to buy when shopping which leads to wasted food. The study also reveals that “stockpiling” food often leads to wasted food product.
One of the biggest culprits for bulk buying is meat which consumers pick up for greatly discounted prices at club-stores around the country. Because meat goes bad Ziploc has started offering portion-size plastic bags that fit inside its freezer bags, allowing customers to store large quantities of meat for longer periods of time.
Ziploc research has shown that 12% of the contents in the average consumers refrigerator are leftovers.
One positive has managed to come out of this and other studies as food manufacturers have begun to find new “stay fresh” containers that allow food to stay fresh for longer periods of time. The most popular of these products is likely the “Debbie Meyer Green Bags” which keep vegetables fresh for longer periods of time.
Do you have any tricks that allows your food to remain fresh for longer periods of time or do you just plan your shopping more diligently?
