25% of Food Purchases Get Thrown Out

chuck abbate

December 1, 20080 found this helpful

we have worked really hard in our house not waste food.when i shop,i find myself handing the cashier things to put back. this all goes back to living w/in your means. never mind the fact that food banks are running out of supplies faster than ever.

Haven't read any estimations, but 25% actually sounds low to me ... Sigh. In this last year alone, I've, on impulse, picked up garlic cloves that went bad, eggs that went well beyond their expiration dates, sour cream & cottage cheese that had to be tossed, fresh shitakii mushrooms (talk about an expense!) that I left until too late, and on it goes.

Some of this was in-store impulse, yet some was because of a sort of craving or whim at a particular time; you know, "Ooo, if I get an avocado, I'll get to try that new salsa recipe." Well, thanks for bringing up the topic!

Sandi

December 1, 20080 found this helpful

I think I have learned a little this past year. There are 2 of us and all we eat as far as cold cuts is turkey breast. At $6.00 a pound it is fairly expensive. I always bought a pound and eneded up tossing half of it because it would spoil . Now I buy it by the 1/2 pound and go for more when needed. Same goes for tomatoes. I buy 2 at a time now and go for more when needed. They are also expensive here $1.99 a pound and this time of year taste like paper anyway.