Hello, my name is ___________________________, and I am a ________________________ (RDN, DTR, intern, etc.). I’m also a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Each year during March, we celebrate National Nutrition Month® by focusing on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year's theme for National Nutrition Month® encourages us to achieve the numerous benefits healthy eating habits offer, but it also urges us to find ways to cut back on food waste. Learning how to manage food resources at home will help you "Go Further with Food", while saving both nutrients and money. www.eatright.org/nnm 11/7/2018

List three benefits of reducing food waste. Objectives Define food waste. List three benefits of reducing food waste. Identify five ways to reduce food waste. At the end of today’s session, each of you will be able to: Define food waste. List three benefits that are associated with reducing food waste. Identify five ways to reduce food waste at home or within your community.

What is Food Waste? What is Food Waste? According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), food waste occurs when an edible item goes unconsumed. This can happen for many reasons. Retailers, like grocery stores, may throw out foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, due to how they look; or consumers may leave food on their plates and it winds up in the trash. Other examples include buying too much produce, which causes it to spoil before being used, or not using foods before their “best by” dates and throwing them out as a result. Another term you might hear about is “food loss”. It’s defined as the amount of food that is available for human consumption after it’s been harvested but goes uneaten. This could result from agricultural conditions, such as damage from pests, or improper storage conditions. It even includes food loss from cooking, which occurs when foods shrink in size. Food waste is just one aspect of food loss. Both are important but as consumers we have more control over food waste, so that is the topic we will be focusing on today. Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist. Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm.

Why is reducing food waste important? Wasted food is important on many levels, and it impacts all parts of the food supply chain. For example, the costs for producing food that goes uneaten affects farmers and business owners, as well as our economy. Consumers are faced with higher food prices and lose money when food spoils at home or gets thrown out as plate waste. Food waste also affects the environment, since resources such as water, that are used to produce the food are wasted, too. In addition, much of the food that is tossed out winds up in landfills, and over time this causes changes in the earth’s climate. Another reason why preventing food waste is so important is because there are numerous households in the U.S. that are food insecure. This means that millions of children and adults lack access to food at some point in time. Not all food that is wasted can be saved and eaten, but a lot of food waste could be prevented, especially at home.

Sources of Food Loss and Waste Farms Growing Harvesting Transporting Processors/Distributors Processing Packaging Storing Wholesalers/Retailers Overstocking Improper rotation Quality Food Service Large portion sizes Food preparation Consumers Buying too much food Confusion about dates Food Supply Chain Wasted Food It’s been estimated that billions of pounds of food are thrown away each year in the United States alone. That’s roughly 300 pounds of food per year for the average American. Although food is wasted throughout the food supply chain, consumers are responsible for the majority of wasted food that winds up in landfills. Some of the reasons listed as sources of food waste in this slide may apply to more than one source in the food supply chain. For example, restaurants may purchase more food than is needed or fail to rotate their stock appropriately, causing food to spoil and be thrown out. In the case of consumers, we may buy too much food at one time or throw out food based on its date stamp. Source: Vogliano C, Brown K. The State of America’s Wasted Food & Opportunities to Make a Difference. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 2016. https://eatrightfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/The-State-of-Americas-Food-Waste-Report.pdf

Reasons to Reduce Food Waste Wasted Food Wasted Money = & Nutrients One of the obvious reasons to reduce food waste for many people is that it costs money. However, wasted food also results in wasted nutrients. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and seafood are often the foods that are wasted. It’s been estimated that approximately 1,200 calories of food are wasted daily in the United States. When we think of the nutrition these foods provide, that amounts to losses of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and vitamin D. Source: Spiker ML, Hiza HAB, Siddiqi SM, Neff RA. Wasted Food, Wasted Nutrients: Nutrient Loss from Wasted Food in the United States and Comparisons to Gaps in Dietary Intake. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2017;117(7):1031-1040.

Ways to help prevent food waste: Plan meals based on foods you already have. Look in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry first for foods that need to be used up. Find recipes that use those ingredients. Write a list of the food items you still need. Now that we’ve talked a little bit about food waste, let’s focus our time on ways to prevent it. Planning meals and snacks in advance is a good place to start and will help you use the foods you already have on hand. Check to see what foods you have in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry first. These items will give you ideas about what recipes to make for the week. List the ingredients you don’t have so that when you go the store you will only buy what you need.

Ways to help prevent food waste: Buy only the amount of food that can be eaten or frozen within a few days. Place foods that spoil quickly within sight. Store produce properly. It may be hard to resist sales or be tempted by foods you see at the store. However, it’s best to shop with a list and only buy the amount of food that you or your family will eat or freeze within a few days. Foods that are likely to spoil quickly should be easy to see so that you remember to eat them. For example, a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter acts as a great reminder for a healthy snack. Fresh fruits and vegetables ripen at different times, so it’s important to store produce properly. Some produce can actually speed up this process for other fruits and vegetables if they are stored together. It helps to learn which fruits and vegetables require refrigeration and which ones should be stored separately. We’ll talk more about that in a few minutes.

Ways to prevent spoilage: Buy only the amount you will use within a few days. Wash produce right before using. Learn which fruits and vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator. Separate produce that is known to cause others to ripen too quickly. As with other foods, to prevent spoilage only buy the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you can use within a few days. Produce should always be washed before using, but some produce may spoil more quickly if it’s washed too far in advance. Refrigeration is recommended for a lot of produce, especially fruits and vegetables that are conveniently packaged or already cut up. Plus, some produce will last longer when refrigerated, such as apples and oranges. Whereas, other produce like onions and potatoes are best stored outside of the refrigerator. Because some produce, like apples can cause other fruits and vegetables to ripen more quickly it’s best to keep them in a separate crisper drawer. For more recommendations, see the Academy’s “How to Keep Produce Fresher Longer” infographic. See the How to Keep Produce Fresher Longer – Infographic for more information.

More ways to help prevent food waste: Learn what food product dates mean. USE BY MARCH 31, 2018 BEST BY MARCH 31, 2018 BEST BEFORE MARCH 31, 2018 SELL BY MARCH 31, 2018 Another factor that contributes to food waste is the confusion that exists about what dates on foods and drinks mean. As you can see on this slide, there are several different terms and dates that may appear on food and drink packaging. Many people consider these to be expiration dates. However, that may not be the case. Food manufacturers provide these dates based on what they consider to be the best quality for that specific food item. For example, “Use by”, “Best by” and “Best Before” dates are often found on condiments, such as mustard and ketchup. In many cases, these items are safe to eat beyond the date stamp, if they have been stored properly. “Sell by” dates are used for perishable foods, such as meats and dairy products. It’s possible these foods may be used a few days after the date, as long as they were stored at a safe temperature. Source: USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Product Dating. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating

Always Practice Good Food Safety! Don’t risk eating or drinking anything that you suspect has spoiled. Eat leftovers within 3 to 4 day (or freeze for up to 3 to 4 months). Regardless of the date stamped on the food or drink packaging, don’t risk eating or drinking anything that you suspect has spoiled. In some cases a food will not look or smell any different. That’s why it’s important to eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days (or freeze for up to 3 to 4 months). Always remember to practice good food safety! For more food safety information, visit www.homefoodsafety.org or check out the “Is My Food Safe” app. The USDA’s FoodKeeper app is another good resource. It helps you determine how long items may be kept in the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry. Knowing this information will help you identify what needs to be used up when planning meals or deciding what to do with leftovers.

More ways to help prevent food waste: Get creative with leftovers. Transform meals into soups, salads, or sandwiches. Cut up leftover meats and veggies. Use them as a topping for salads or cooked grains. Wrap in a tortilla or stuff into a pita for a satisfying sandwich. Another way to prevent food waste is to get creative with leftovers. A meal doesn’t always need to be eaten in the same way as a leftover. A lot of times, it can be transformed into another meal, a soup, salad, or even a sandwich. Imagine a rotisserie chicken enjoyed with a Sunday night dinner. This same entrée could be shredded, reheated and added to a soup on Monday night or wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with low-fat cheese and veggies for lunch. The options are endless…

Other ways to Go Further with Food : Be mindful of portion sizes. Order smaller sizes of foods and drinks when eating away from home. Ask for a to-go container at the start of a meal. Other ways to Go Further with Food : Other ways to Go Further with Food include being mindful of portion sizes. Over the years, portions of most foods and drinks have increased in size. Choosing smaller portions will not only help to reduce food waste, but it will also help you stay within your calorie needs, as MyPlate recommends. If it’s not possible to request a smaller portion when eating out, just ask for a to-go container at the start of a meal. This will help you eat less. Plus, you’ll have a leftover to enjoy the next day.

More ways to Go Further with Food : Learn how to properly can or dehydrate foods at home. Donate extra foods that are still safe to eat to a local food pantry. Consider composting. More ways to Go Further with Food : These are a few more ways to Go Further with Food: Learn how to properly can or dehydrate foods at home. These are both great ways to enjoy foods that may not be in season at other times of the year. For example, fresh tomatoes can be used to make tomato sauce or salsa and preserved for later use, or grapes can be dehydrated and enjoyed as raisins. As mentioned earlier, there are many people living in the United States that are food insecure. Donating foods that are still safe to eat to a local food pantry can be a win-win, as it provides food to those in need and will help prevent food waste. (There might also be food recovery programs in the area where you live.) And if none of those are options, consider composting. It’s a good way to return valuable nutrients to the soil and will help reduce space in landfills.

https://furtherwithfood.org/ Food Waste Resources https://furtherwithfood.org/ The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is committed to cutting food loss and waste in the United States.  Further with Food: The Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions (https://furtherwithfood.org/) is a virtual resource center which offers the opportunity for the exchange of information with the unified goal of reducing food loss and waste in the United States by half by the year 2030. The Academy was a founding partner of Further with Food: The Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions along with United States Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Feeding America, Food Management Institute, Grocery Manufacturers of America, World Wildlife Fund, National Restaurant Association, and others. Visit furtherwithfood.org for more information.

Food Waste Resources USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov, “Let’s Talk Trash” https://www.choosemyplate.gov/lets-talk-trash “U.S. Food Waste Challenge” https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/ United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Reducing Wasted Food At Home” https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-challenge-frc These are a few additional resources that address ways to reduce food waste: USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov (https://www.choosemyplate.gov/lets-talk-trash) The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) developed an infographic “Let’s Talk Trash”, which helps to raise awareness of this important topic. “U.S. Food Waste Challenge” (https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/) This is a joint effort between the USDA Office of the Chief Economist and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The program is open to businesses and organizations in an effort to reduce the amount of food waste in the U.S. by half by the year 2030. United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home & https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-challenge-frc) The EPA provides additional resources for “Reducing Wasted Food At Home” and offers a “Food Recovery Challenge” in conjunction with the U.S. Food Waste Challenge.

Are there any questions? Thank you for your time! And remember to Go Further with Food during National Nutrition Month® 2018 and beyond!