Here’s something to think of before you discard your food. A study has revealed that American households throw away 30 to 40 percent of their food – for an annual total of $240 billion worth of food waste.

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences professor Edward Jaenicke and his associate Yang Yu explored why Americans produce that much food waste. They analyzed data from 4,000 households that participated in the U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey.

“[This] study is the first to identify and analyze the level of food waste for individual households, which has been nearly impossible to estimate because comprehensive, current data on uneaten food at the household level do not exist,” Jaenicke describes their research.

“Based on our estimation, the average American household wastes 31.9 percent of the food it acquires. Our findings are consistent with previous studies, which have shown that 30 percent to 40 percent of the total food supply in the U.S. goes uneaten. More than two-thirds of households in our study have food waste estimates of between 20 percent and 50 percent.”

“However, even the least wasteful household wastes 8.7 percent of the food it acquires. [That] means that resources used to produce the uneaten food – including land, energy, water and labor – are wasted as well.”

Jaenicke and Yang also looked at other factors that contribute to households producing less or more food waste. Higher-income households and those following healthier diets discard the most food waste as they buy more perishable fruits and vegetables, the two noted.

“It’s possible that programs encouraging healthy diets may unintentionally lead to more food waste. That may be something to think about from a policy perspective – how can we fine-tune these programs to reduce potential waste,” Jaenicke remarked.

There are simple ways to minimize food waste at home

The researchers were also able to identify the kinds of households that threw away smaller amounts of food waste.

Larger household sizes, i.e. those with more family members living under one roof, were associated with smaller amounts of food waste. Jaenicke explained: “People in larger households have more meal-management options. More people means leftover food is more likely to be eaten.”

Households that had lower levels of food security also discarded less food waste. These include those relying on government programs to buy groceries.

Furthermore, Jaenicke and Yang pointed out that some grocery items are sold in large sizes that could eventually end up as food waste. “A household of two may not eat an entire head of cauliflower, so some could be wasted. [Whereas,] a larger household is more likely to eat all of it, perhaps at a single meal,” Jaenicke said.

“While the precise measurement of food waste is important, it may be equally important to investigate further how household-specific factors influence how much food is wasted.”

Interestingly, the two researchers pointed out that households who use a shopping list when visiting the grocery and those who have to travel far to visit one have less food waste. According to Jaenicke, this finding suggests that planning and food management play a role in the amount of food waste households produce.

An article by TheOrganisedHousewife.com.au outlined some reasons why carrying a shopping list when you go to the grocery works wonders.

First, having a grocery list lets you save time and money. With a shopping list, you only need to buy the food items you need and avoid unnecessary purchases that may end up as food waste. According to research, you can cut down on food expenses by 25 percent to 30 percent by listing down groceries. It also saves you time as you do not need to wonder what you need to buy – just grab the things on your list and go.

Second, having a grocery list helps you plan out your meals for the week. With all the ingredients in hand, all you need to do is prepare and cook them for a quick meal. This also helps you reduce food waste at home, as you only buy the food you are prepared to cook.

To make the most out of your purchases and avoid wasting food, practice meal planning and make smart choices when buying your groceries.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

StudyFinds.org

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com

TheOrganisedHousewife.com.au