Preventing Wasted Food 

Wasted food is a much larger problem than most people are aware of. Every year, wasted food costs billions of dollars, wastes huge amounts of natural resources, and contributes to climate change. Get the facts and see what you can do to stop wasting food and money. Did you know...

• The average family of four spends $1,600 per year on food that goes uneaten.
• 25% of all the freshwater supplies in America are used to produce food that is wasted.
• Wasted food produces 25% of America's methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Wasted Food vs. Food Waste 

Food makes up the largest material portion of the waste stream in America. It is also the least recovered portion of our waste. They may seem similar, but the difference between wasted food and food waste is important.

Take the Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge

What is the Challenge?

The Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge will show you how much edible food goes to waste in your own home and will help you to waste less. With some easy planning and light changes to your shopping, food prep, and storage habits, this challenge will help you save time and money by keeping your food out of the trash (or compost).

Sign up to take the Challenge today! Participants who enter the four-week Challenge will be entered into a drawing for one of several $50 gift cards to a local grocery store or farmer's market of their choice.

Did you participate in the Challenge and are now ready to submit your results? Enter your results electronically or mail them in by following the instructions on the Challenge worksheet.

Challenge Toolkit

Download these resources directly, or receive them as part of your Food: Too Good To Waste Challenge toolkit. These tools will help you realize and minimize the amount of edible food you are currently wasting.

• Challenge Instructions & Worksheet
• SMART Tips
• Shopping List
• Food Storage Tips
• "Eat First" Prompt & Container
• Freezer Labels
• What's the Problem with Wasted Food? Infographic
• Food Waste Measurement Container

To obtain your measurement container and other toolkit materials, sign up to attend a Food: Too Good To Waste workshop, or pick up a toolkit at the City of Tacoma's Recovery & Transfer Center (3510 S. Mullen St.). To schedule a time to pick up your toolkit, contact Jetta Antonakos at jantonakos@cityoftacoma.org or at (253) 502-2289. Don't delay - Challenge supplies are limited!

Attend a Workshop or Event

Interested in learning more about food waste and the Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge? Call (253) 591-5172 or email us to schedule a free presentation for your group or organization!
 
The City of Tacoma's EnviroHouse (3510 S. Mullen St., Tacoma) often hosts workshops related to food preservation, gardening, and compost. Check out upcoming workshops and RSVP at the EnviroHouse website.

Get SMART About Food Waste

Use these tips to get ready for your week, be more prepared and efficient when shopping, use all the fresh food you buy, and extend the shelf life of your groceries.

Food Safety

How do you know if food is safe to eat? Sometimes it's obvious - moldy or rotten food has gone bad. Other times it's hard to tell. The more time your food spends in the temperature "danger zone" (40 - 120 degrees F), the more likely it will be unsafe to eat. If you leave food out on the counter or in a hot car, it could be unsafe even before the date on the package. Keeping food properly stored and using it before it becomes unsafe will go a long way to reducing wasted food.

Dates stamped on food packages are helpful, but what do these dates really mean? Savethefood.com has useful information about food safety and product dating. Here are the basics:

• "Sell by" dates tell the store how long to display a product for sale. Food past this date is generally still safe to eat.
• "Best before" dates are about food quality. After these dates foods are safe to eat, but they are past their peak flavor or quality.
• "Use by" dates are the last dates that foods are at peak quality. These dates are set by the manufacturer and are usually about quality, not safety. After this date, food should be safe if it has been stored properly.
• Cans: Dates stamped on cans do not have to do with food safety. As long as the can is not damaged and has not been frozen or above 90 degrees F, the canned food should be safe to eat.
• Eggs: Even if the date stamped on eggs has passed, eat them within three to five weeks of purchasing. If they are properly stored in the refrigerator, they are safe to eat.

Remember, proper storage is key! We can't say for sure how long after "use by" dates food will be good, but if you store the food properly it should last longer. 

Donate Your Extra Food

Today nearly 50 million Americans have inconsistent or unreliable access to food. This means that roughly one out of six adults and one out of five children are food insecure. Reducing food loss in the U.S. by just 15% could help feed more than 25 million Americans.

One step you can take towards reducing wasted food in your home is to donate food you no longer want or think you won't eat. It is easiest to donate commercially packaged goods that do not need refrigeration. 

• To donate food, find a Tacoma or Pierce County Food Bank near you. 
• A full list of food you can and cannot donate in Washington can be found on the Washington State Department of Health website.    
• To learn about the Pierce County Gleaning Project that keeps food from being wasted in the field or on the tree, visit the Harvest Pierce County website.   

Mobile Apps and Web Tools

There are numerous free and low-cost mobile apps and web tools that can help you make the most of your groceries. Try these free apps and see how much of a difference they can have in your daily life.

	Cozi Features: shopping list, meal planner, recipes, storage Compatible with: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
	Love Food Hate Waste Features: portion planner, recipe "blender", hints and tips, meal planner, shopping list Compatible with: Android, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
	Grocery iQ Features: food database, coupons, barcode scanning, grocery list Compatible with: Android, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
	Food on the Table Features: sales/discounts by store location, recipes, meal planner, shopping list Compatible with: Android, iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
	222 Million Tons Features: meal planner, shopping list Compatible with: iPad

What You Can't Use, Compost!

Reducing the amount of food you waste is important, but so is what you do with your scraps and spoiled food. Consider compost. Keeping a compost bin or pile is easy. You can also put uneaten food in your City of Tacoma food/yard waste bin for composting at a local facility. Composting is a great way to put food waste to use, improve soil quality, and reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill. To see a helpful infographic about composting,visit the website of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a national nonprofit organization working to strengthen local economies, and redirect waste into local recycling, composting, and reuse industries.