‘Fridge Check Fridays’ Among County Efforts To Reduce Food Waste

At Hennepin County’s recycling center in Brooklyn Park, uneaten food becomes compost.

Yet while composting is a great way to get rid of old food, county officials want to prevent it from being wasted in the first place.

“Food waste is definitely a big problem,” said Jenny Kedward, Hennepin County’s food waste prevention specialist.

She says that 40 percent of all food in America is wasted.

“We are wasting more than $2,500 a year for a family of four,” Kedward said. “So it affects us financially, especially right now during inflation and food prices are ginormous.”

That wasted money is one reason why Hennepin County launched the website, TrashOrCash.org. It’s designed to help families save money and reduce food waste.

“So we have fun hacks, tips, different things that you can do at home to actually make a difference and save money,” Kedward said.

Food storage tips

One of the easiest things people can do is store their food properly, especially when it comes to produce.

“The big thing is, store your food how you got it from the grocery store,” Kedward said. “So were tomatoes and apples in the cold area, or were they out in the major dry warmer area? Also with herbs, we always buy herbs in bunches, and then we only use a little bit of it. So, we encourage people to treat their herbs like cut flowers. Put a little water in a jar and put your herbs in there.”

Another important tip is to properly organize your refrigerator and avoid shoving things like leftovers to the back.

“We forget about it. It’s common,” Kedward said of leftovers. “So our biggest tip is having an ‘eat first’ area of the fridge. It could be a basket, it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Or it could just be a shelf where everyone in your family knows, eat this food first.”

Ultimately, a little effort can go a long way to help prevent food from ending up at the Brooklyn Park recycling center.

“The biggest thing we can do is remembering the food we have and eating it,” she said.

Hennepin County also wants people to participate in “Fridge Check Fridays,” which involves assessing the food in your refrigerator and making a plan to use it before it goes bad.

Putting a basket in your fridge that says “eat first,” is one way families can help prevent food waste.

Related: New Trash Reduction Plan Puts Renewed Focus on Organics Recycling

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