Reducing Food Waste This Thanksgiving

Here’s some food for thought this Thanksgiving week. The USDA says the average American family of four loses $1,500 to uneaten food a year. That’s about 1,100 pounds of food. So, with the big feast just two days away, here are some tips before your last-minute grocery run, that could save some money and help out the earth. For turkey, one rule of thumb is to plan for one pound per person, or a pound and a half if you want leftovers. For smaller than normal gatherings, consider cooking only the favorite family side dishes to go with the main course. And if you find yourself with extra ingredients, you can donate those cans of pumpkin pie filling or green beans to your local food bank. This will help these organizations feed families for weeks to come. The food on our table takes a lot of resources like fresh water, energy and labor. Before you toss out any leftovers, consider this. Food that ends up in landfills emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that effects the earth’s temperature and climate, so you may want to try composting… Or, freeze the scraps from vegetable peelings and meat trimmings for future broths and soups. We hope your Thanksgiving plans go as smooth as gravy. And we thank our planet for all that it gives us and all it continues to endure.