20 easy ways to reduce your food waste

The document outlines 20 strategies to reduce food waste, ranging from smarter shopping and correct storage to creative repurposing of food scraps. It highlights the environmental cost of food waste, specifically its contribution to methane emissions in landfills and the loss of agricultural water.

• Global food waste is significant, with nearly one-third of all produced food discarded annually, totaling approximately 1.3 billion tons.
• Food waste in industrialized nations is higher than in developing nations; for example, the average American produced about 99 kg (219 pounds) of food waste in 2010 according to the EPA.
• Discarded food contributes to climate change by producing methane gas in landfills and wastes 24% of all agricultural water, amounting to 45 trillion gallons (170 trillion liters) annually.
• Improper storage is a major driver of waste; in the United Kingdom, approximately two-thirds of household waste is attributed to food spoilage.
• Consumer preference for 'perfect' produce leads to significant waste, though some retailers like Walmart and Whole Foods have begun discounting 'ugly' fruits and vegetables to combat this.
• Food expiration labels in the U.S. are not government-regulated and are often misunderstood; 'Sell by' and 'Best by' dates do not necessarily mean the food is unsafe to eat.

APA

Healthline (2019). 20 easy ways to reduce your food waste. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/20-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-food-waste/

Chicago

Healthline. 20 easy ways to reduce your food waste. World Economic Forum, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/20-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-food-waste/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Healthline |title=20 easy ways to reduce your food waste |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=12 February 2019 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/20-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-food-waste/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{healthline2019easy, author = {Healthline}, title = {{20 easy ways to reduce your food waste}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = feb, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/20-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-food-waste/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }