Think twice before throwing out those leftovers!
Food waste is a significant problem in American households, with 30-40% of the entire U.S. food supply ending up discarded each year.
Fresh produce is especially vulnerable to spoilage, often due to over-purchasing or to improper storage. However, meal-prepping offers a practical, simple solution to not only reduce waste, but to also save time and cut grocery bills!
But food waste isn’t just a financial burden: it’s an environmental issue too. When food decomposes in landfills rather than in a compost bin, the anaerobic conditions cause it to release much more methane than normal. That methane ends up in the atmosphere where, along with other greenhouse gasses, it traps heat from the sun and directs it back to Earth. That, of course, contributes to climate change and other GHG-related effects!
Reducing food waste is a simple-yet-effective way to reduce your environmental footprint, and it starts with some pretty easy swaps in your kitchen — like, for example, meal prepping!
Meal-prepping tips for reducing food waste
Plan your meals around perishable produce
One of the most effective ways to prevent waste is to plan your meals around perishable ingredients. By prioritizing produce with shorter shelf lives (like leafy greens and berries) early in the week, you’ll use them before they start to spoil.
Planning meals in this way ensures nothing is forgotten in the back of the fridge! For example, plan to make a salad or smoothie bowl on Monday to use up fresh spinach and strawberries that are just waiting to wilt, while saving heartier produce like carrots and sweet potatoes for later in the week.
Freeze produce before it spoils
Freezing produce before it spoils is another powerful way to avoid waste. If you notice that your fruits or vegetables are about to turn, portion them and freeze them in bags for later use.
The key is to flash freeze produce on a baking sheet before transferring it to freezer bags — this method prevents clumping and makes it easier to portion out what you need later. Berries, bananas, potatoes and bell peppers freeze particularly well, while watery produce like lettuce and cucumbers really don’t. Freeze wisely!
Pre-portion your ingredients
Another helpful strategy is pre-portioning ingredients. Rather than buying bulk produce and letting it sit unused, portion out what you need for each meal or snack. Clear containers make it easy to see what’s available and will encourage you to use produce before it goes bad.
Pre-cut veggies can also double as convenient grab-and-go snacks or quick add-ins for meals, reducing the chance for them to spoil in large batches.
Batch cook meals and store them properly
Batch cooking your meals and storing them properly are also essential components of effective meal-prepping. By cooking meals in bulk, you can ensure that produce is used before it has a chance to spoil. Once those meals are prepared, store them in airtight, labeled containers with "use-by" dates so that you actually use them!
Doing this can keep your fridge organized and will prevent older food from being forgotten. Using the “first in, first out” rule for your refrigerator can ensure older meals are eaten first, so come up with an organizational system that works best for you!
Use produce scraps creatively
Many parts of produce we’re used to tossing—like stems, peels and leaves—can still be useful. Many vegetable scraps can be saved in a freezer bag and used to make homemade broth, and fruit scraps can be used for smoothies or as infusions for syrups.
If you don’t plan to use fruits and veggie scraps for consumption purposes, consider composting them instead, as composting reduces landfill waste and enriches soil for future gardening projects!
Extra sustainable tips for reducing food waste
In addition to these five key strategies, there are a few other habits that can further reduce produce waste in a home kitchen.
Smart shopping is essential to stopping food waste before it can even start, so buy only what you need for the week and avoid impulse purchases. Store your produce properly by following best practices, such as keeping bananas separate from other fruit to prevent premature ripening and storing leafy greens with a paper towel to absorb moisture. And when all else fails, compost any unavoidable food waste to reduce your environmental impact.
The broader benefits of meal-prepping
Meal-prepping isn’t just about waste reduction: it’s a way to save money, reduce stress and simplify your weekly routine! When produce is prepped and ready, you’re less likely to order takeout or resort to processed foods, and you’ll also save time since meals come together faster with pre-chopped ingredients.
The eco-friendly benefits are undeniable too — keeping food out of landfills reduces methane emissions and supports a more sustainable food system overall.
Inspired? Don’t feel intimidated by a change in routine and just start with something small!
Choose just one meal or one ingredient to prep this week, and you’ll be surprised by how much of a difference it makes over time!
Meal-prepping fresh produce is one of the simplest ways to prevent food waste. By planning meals around perishables, pre-portioning ingredients, freezing extras, using scraps and batch cooking, you can keep produce fresh for longer (and out of the trash can, too!). Not only will you save money and time, but you’ll also contribute to a healthier planet.
Good luck!
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Featured photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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