Holiday food waste is a significant issue. The US Ecology Center estimates a 25% increase in waste delivered to landfills between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. The bump in waste is comprised of food and non-food items. Due to the excess and indulgence associated with holiday meals, food waste from uneaten food amounts to millions of dollars. In 2023, it was estimated that 312 million pounds of food was wasted from just US Thanksgiving meals alone. Other holiday waste includes discarded packaging (including online shopping boxes and envelopes), decorations, wrappings, cards, and disposable paper/plastic/aluminum food containers.
While all of the holiday waste is of concern, the consequences of food waste and ways to prevent it will be the topic of this blog. Food waste contributes negative consequences to the environment and to our expendable food dollar.
When food is wasted, there is more waste than just the food itself. There is waste of the seed, land, water, labor, energy, and transportation required to grow, produce, and deliver food to our tables. Further, there is waste of ingredients, time, and energy expended to prepare the food in the home. When food goes into our landfills, it decays producing greenhouse gas emissions; methane is of particular concern as it is a dangerous gas and contributes to climate change. Further, we live in a time when food costs consume a large portion of our expendable income worsened by inflation and supply chain issues. 10.5 percent of all US households are food insecure or undernourished and could use the food that goes to waste.
Whether it be an environmental, social, or humanitarian issue, every consumer needs to do their part to reduce food waste. As the holidays approach, here are some tips to reduce holiday food waste:
- Plan ahead. Plan out the meal. Prevent waste from happening from the get go. Digital tools like Save the Food’s Guest-Imator can help consumers calculate how much food will be needed.
- Buy only what is needed. If you knowingly buy more than needed, have a plan for the leftovers.
- Store food properly if purchased or prepared ahead. Put meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and produce in the refrigerator as soon as you get home. Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, and pumpkin should be stored in a cool dark place. Freeze bakery items to keep them fresh.
- Encourage less plate waste by using smaller serving spoons. Send uneaten food left on a plate home with guests in take home containers. Label with name and refrigerate until they depart.
- Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking or removing food from a warming appliance to prevent foodborne illness. Cool foods quickly using an ice bath or downsizing portions. Avoid crowding foods in the refrigerator; leave space so air can circulate.
- Share leftovers with guests in take-home containers or donate to an agency in your area that accepts prepared food donations.
- Be creative with leftovers. Use leftovers to create a new dish–turkey pot pie, casseroles, soup, and stock or broth. Incorporate leftover veggies into omelets. Turn potatoes into pancakes. Cornbread into salad. Charcuterie into pizza. Squash into mac and cheese. Freeze individual meals for later use or quick meals.
- Use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days or freeze to extend their use.
- Freeze leftovers. Allow food to cool completely before putting in the freezer. Even pumpkin pie can be frozen. Frozen leftovers are best used within 2-6 months for best quality but will keep indefinitely in the freezer. Package carefully to prevent freezer burn or dehydration and be sure to label and date the food.
- Save food scraps like vegetable peels and meat trimmings to make broths; scraps can be gathered and frozen until ready to use for broth. If not saved, compost scraps and leftovers that go bad whenever possible. If you are unable to compost, find someone or a group in your area that does.
This holiday season, think about ways that you can reduce food waste. It is up to each one of us to change our unsustainable consumption and wasteful habits.
Sources:
Give a Gift to the Planet by Reducing Holiday Waste, National Environmental Education Foundation
Tips to Reduce Food Waste at Thanksgiving, USDA
Thanksgiving and Food Waste, University of Minnesota
Sizing up America’s Thanksgiving Food Waste Problem, Ag Fund News
Food Waste during the Holiday Season, Each Green Corner
