Jun 7, 20212 min read

How to Avoid Food Waste (part 3): Using Commonly Wasted Ingredients & Leftovers

Commonly Wasted Ingredients

Some commonly wasted foods include:

Potatoes, beets, radishes, and carrots (46.2%)
Fruits and vegetables (45.7%)
Tuna, salmon, shrimp, other seafood (34.7%)
Cereal, bread, and rice (29.1%)
Lentils, green peas, chickpeas (22.1%)
Chicken, pork, and beef (21.5%)
Milk, yogurt, and cheese (17.1%)

A couple graphics about items that are wasted:

Using Meats & Fish

Prioritize raw meat and fish as they spoil quickly!
Make new dishes with leftover pieces
- Sauces
- Soups
- Pasta
Toss leftovers in your compost bin to prevent additional waste that would otherwise end up as garbage
Store it in the freezer for later use (before use-by date + use it within 24 hrs of defrosting).

Using Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables make up 45.7% of the world’s total food waste
Ways to use leftover vegetables
- Use leftover roasted vegetables as an easy and healthy side dish for any meal
- Leftover vegetables are also great to use in soups
Ways to use leftover fruits
- Leftover fruits can be used to make spreads or sauces to top pancakes, waffles, or cake
- Leftover fruits can also easily be used to make smoothies
- Other great ways to use up leftover fruits include ice pops and salad dressings

Using Dairy & Bread

If stored correctly in the fridge, and unless the milk spells spoilt or bad, you can probably drink milk 1-2 days after expiration date
- If you know you won’t be able to finish a full gallon of milk by the expiration date, consider buying ½ gallon instead
To keep bread fresh longer, you can freeze it or place it in the fridge
- You can also stored them in containers instead of the plastic bags to make them stay softer longer
Repurpose bread by using it as bread crumbs, croutons, or even using it to feed the birds!

Using Pantry Items

Cereal and Rice are among the most commonly wasted ingredients
Even if these items expire, you can still use them!
Cereal
- Most cereals will not be a food safety risk after the date, they just will not taste as good
- Can be used as a flour substitute, breadcrumbs, pie crust, topping, cereal bars (like rice krispies), puppy chow, ice cream cones, flavored milk, and more!
Rice
- Uncooked rice can be used after the expirations date (1-2 years)
- Make a heating/cooling pack, decorate, sharpen blender blades, clean coffee pots, make a face mask, and more!
Make sure to research for your specific pantry item before eating it past the expiration date

Why Should WE Reduce Food Waste?

“A new study by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization found that limiting food waste globally could reduce the need to raise more food by 60 percent. In other words, the need to produce more and more food could be dramatically offset by reducing the amount that is wasted” (Forbes)
“Approximately $1 trillion of food is lost or wasted every year” (WFP)

Taking Action

If you donate or take action from this article, make sure to fill out the form below to let Fighting Hunger Club know!

Sources & Resources

All information in this article is based on the Fighting Hunger Club presentation from the December 4th 2021 meeting

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