So much of the food we are blessed with end up in our trash bags. We throw away about a quarter of our grocery purchases. This may be because we miscalculate how much food we need, or we fail to preserve our foods well before they spoil.

One issue may be the dates that are stamped onto our food packages. “Sell by” dates are not definite. Food that has passed the expiration date may not be expired–but we throw them away. The may not be the best of quality at that time, but it may still be safe to eat.

Other causes of throwing away foods may be related to planning. We may buy many food products that we will not eat, on a whim. Or we may miscalculate how much of one product we will eat. We may serve too much food which will go uneaten and thus throw away large portions.

The source article cites a research which shows that the generations of people who have experienced the Great Depression and World War 2, and the people of third world countries, waste a large percentage less than the average American. If we are more careful and aware of our habits we can definitely control how much of our food ends up in the trash.

It is inevitable that we will have food waste, but if we are more careful we can greatly lower our amount of trashed food.

Source: www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf