With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many people in the U.S. are eager to come together with loved ones around a dinner table to share a delicious meal.
Sadly, Thanksgiving is also known for being one of the largest food waste days in the U.S., with a prediction that an estimated total of over 300 million pounds of food will be wasted this Thanksgiving. That statistic is heartbreaking.
What can be done? Well, for starters, you can simply choose to buy less. The mentality “it’s better to have too much food” when hosting or attending a gathering is not always the best mentality to have – for the environment, or for your wallet. Consider doing a basic calculation prior to heading out for your grocery haul, and only getting the amount you need to feed the number of guests you are hosting rather than overestimating.
You can also choose to get creative with leftovers! Find fun dishes that you can throw together in the days following that incorporate holiday leftovers so that those leftovers don’t just end up in the garbage after everyone has left the gathering.
The sad truth is, food waste is a huge issue in the U.S., and not just on Thanksgiving. 30% of food in the U.S. is thrown away annually. Consider that for a moment. Now, I urge you to consider one or two small changes that you can make today to contribute to less food waste tomorrow.
Aside from avoiding massive grocery hauls full of food that will probably go bad before consumption, and making better use of leftovers, you may also choose to inspire change on a larger scale by reaching out to your representatives and asking them to support two bills that are currently making their way through congress.
The first is the Food Date Labeling Act, which would require manufacturers to use one of two standardized labels – either “use by” or ‘best if used by” when dating products to cut back on unneccessary waste due to confusing labels.
The second is the No Time to Waste Act, which would put priorities in place that would improve federal research and work to decrease waste by 60% in the next 4 years. This bill would also rule out national efforts to enourage eduction in food waste by providing better information for consumers on how to determine if an item has expired.
You’ll find a link to share your thoughts with congress on each of those bipartisan bills below.
And as always, it is never a bad idea to know more about where your food is being sourced, and then ultimately choosing to purchase from a provider that utilizes more environmentally sustainable practices which would have an impact that extends far beyond this holiday. Later this month, I will be sharing additional resources, such as a deep dive into various labels and certifications that may be useful in preparing more sustainable meals this holiday season… Stay tuned!
