Earlier this month, our family participated in GLAD’s Fresh Food Challenge. The folks at GLAD sent us a few things to get us started like freezer bags, clingwrap and zipper bags.
It was astonishing to find out the statistics about food waste in Canada:
The typical Canadian household spends $5,572 per year on grocery food items, including $465 per year on fresh fruit and vegetables
On average, 13% of all food is thrown out, resulting in $725 worth of food items ending up in the garbage. This is the equivalent of two months’ worth of groceries.
The average Canadian wastes over $175 per year on produce spoilage.
To keep us on track to avoid throwing out food, it was important to keep track of leftovers. If things could be frozen, they were placed into freezer bags, labelled and put in the freezer. For example, when I made Shepard’s Pie, I had made too much meat. The extra meat was bagged and frozen right away and is ready and waiting for another quick dinner.
Cookies were packed in the freezer bags, keeping them fresh for school lunches. Items like meat and lamb were wrapped in press and seal and then placed in freezer bags. This kept them from getting freezer burn and less likely to be tossed out.
These little tips can be used all the time to ensure food stays fresh and there is less waste:
Disclaimer – GLAD sent me products to help with the challenge as well as compensation. All opinions are my own.
Leave a Reply