“Clean your plate.”

That was a phrase many of us heard plenty of times growing up. 

In grade school, we had a teacher that took this mission personally, standing by the garbage can to make sure we at least tasted everything on our plate before throwing any leftover food away. 

Today, the challenge of reducing food waste takes on a whole new perspective now that I’m the one paying the grocery bills. 

We try to do the best we can to clean up any leftovers or freeze them for later, but inevitably we occasionally find something beyond recognition after being forgotten about for a few weeks (or months) in the back of the refrigerator.

It’s a bigger problem than many people recognize. Last week, there was even a day (April 30) that was declared as “Stop Food Waste Day.” 

Approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted either during processing, transportation or at the retail or consumer level. In addition to economic implications, food waste also takes up space in landfills.  

Farmers are doing their part to reduce waste by using rejected or leftover food as feed for livestock. 

Vegetable growers often collect and donate leftover produce to food banks to prevent it from going to waste while providing food to those in need.

At home, reducing food waste can start with small habits — like meal planning or getting creative with leftovers — that add up to a meaningful impact. 

Whether it’s remembering to eat what we already have or supporting efforts to redistribute excess food, we all have a role to play.