How to reduce food waste at home: 12 habits for families

Most food waste in a family kitchen is not one big mistake. It is a bag of spinach bought twice, a banana nobody wanted, and half a pot of pasta pushed to the back of the fridge until it was too late to trust.

Here are twelve habits that cut it down, grouped by where in the week the waste happens: at the store, in the fridge, at the stove, and after dinner.

Where the waste comes from

The EPA estimates that one third of all food in the United States goes uneaten, and that the average family of four spends almost $3,000 a year on food that never gets eaten. That is the cost of groceries, not the cost of a bin bag.

A surprising share of it is a reading problem rather than a cooking one. The FDA says confusion over date labels accounts for an estimated 20 percent of consumer food waste. Most of the habits below are small and boring. That is the point: they are the ones that survive a week with a toddler in it.

At the store: buy what you will actually cook

1. Look before you list. Open the fridge, the freezer and the cupboard before you write anything down. Both the FDA and the EPA recommend it, and it is the habit that stops the second jar of tahini. Note anything with a deadline on it and plan a dinner around it.

2. Write quantities, not just items. The EPA suggests writing how many meals each item is for, with "salad greens, enough for two lunches" as its example. "Spinach" on a list becomes the big bag. "Spinach, one dinner and two lunches" becomes the right one. Our grocery list by aisle is built to take these notes.

3. Count the nights you will not cook. The EPA's advice is to shop for the number of meals you will actually eat at home. A week with a birthday party, a takeaway Friday and a night at the grandparents' is a four-dinner week, not a seven-dinner one. Shop for four.

4. Be suspicious of a bargain on something perishable. The EPA puts it plainly: buy one, get one free only saves money if you use all of it before it spoils. Multipacks of yogurt pouches, family packs of chicken and the big tub of berries are where this bites. Bulk buying works for things that keep, like rice, oats, pasta and frozen vegetables.

In the fridge: make the food you have visible

5. Check the temperature once. The FDA recommends a fridge at 40°F or below and a freezer at 0°F. The FDA suggests an appliance thermometer to check, because a fridge running warm quietly shortens the life of everything in it.

6. Put things where they last longest. The EPA's storage guidance is specific:

• High humidity drawer: leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers and broccoli.
• Low humidity drawer: most fruit, plus mushrooms and peppers.
• Away from other produce: bananas, apples, pears, stone fruit and avocados, which release ethylene gas as they ripen and speed up whatever is next to them.
• Not in the door: milk and eggs. The door is the warmest part of the fridge. The lower shelves are the coldest, which is where raw meat, poultry and fish belong.
• Out of the fridge: potatoes, onions, garlic and winter squash, in a cool, dry, dark place.

7. Wash berries and grapes when you serve them, not when you unpack them. The EPA notes that washing them early encourages mold. This one matters in a house where berries are the most expensive thing in the fruit drawer.

8. Give the fridge an "eat this first" shelf. The FDA suggests a designated spot for food that will go bad within a few days. Half an avocado, the open tub of yogurt, the last two sausages. When you open the fridge looking for a snack or a lunch, you look there first.

At the stove: cook for the food that is about to turn

9. Plan one dinner a week to use things up. Frittatas, soups, fried rice, pasta sauces, pancakes and smoothies are all on the EPA's list of ways to use produce past its prime. A frittata takes half a pepper, a handful of wilting spinach and a lone potato without complaint. We use it the same way in cheap family dinners.

10. Freeze before it is a problem, not after. The EPA names bread, sliced fruit, meat and leftovers as candidates. The FDA's refrigerator and freezer storage chart explains why this is so forgiving: food kept at 0°F stays safe indefinitely, and its recommended freezer times are for quality only. A loaf of bread that will not be finished by Thursday goes in on Monday. Brown bananas get peeled, sliced and frozen for pancakes or smoothies.

11. Serve a small first helping. The FDA suggests starting with less and adding more once the plate is clear. With small children this is most of the battle. A toddler's appetite swings from one night to the next, and a full plate that comes back barely touched is food that is hard to save. Serve small, keep the rest in the pan, and let them ask.

After dinner: treat leftovers like a plan

12. Get leftovers cold quickly, labeled, and on a clock. Three steps, all from the FDA and EPA:

• Within two hours. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking, or one hour if it is above 90°F. Leftovers that sat on the stove through bath and bedtime are the most common way a good pot of food ends up in the bin.
• In shallow containers. The FDA advises dividing large amounts into shallow containers so they cool faster.
• With a date on the lid. The EPA recommends clear containers labeled with the contents and the date. A piece of masking tape and a marker is enough.

Then know the window. The FDA chart gives 3 to 4 days in the fridge for cooked meat dishes, cooked poultry dishes, and soups and stews. If dinner will not be eaten in that time, freeze it on day one rather than day four. When you reheat, the FDA says to bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil.

The most reliable way to make sure leftovers get eaten is to give them a slot in the week's meal plan. A Thursday that says "leftovers" gets eaten. A fridge full of containers with no plan does not.

Common questions

Is food past its "best by" date safe to eat?

A "best by" date is about quality, not safety. The FDA says "Best if Used By" marks when a product will be at its best flavor and quality, and that apart from infant formula, federal law does not require quality-based date labels on packaged food. Check for changes in color, consistency or texture. For perishables, the FDA's storage chart is a better guide than the label.

How long do leftovers last in the fridge?

The FDA's storage chart gives 3 to 4 days for cooked meat and poultry dishes, cooked fish, and soups and stews, with the fridge at 40°F or below. Gravy and meat broth are shorter, at 1 to 2 days. If you cannot eat something within that window, freeze it early, while it is still fresh.

What do I do with food my child left on the plate?

Plan to need fewer of them. A small first helping, with more offered from the pan, means the food that does not get eaten is still in the pot and still a leftover.

Does buying in bulk save money for a family?

Only for food you will finish. The EPA's rule is that a bulk deal saves money only if everything is used before it spoils. Dry goods and frozen vegetables keep for months and are good bulk buys. Fresh produce, dairy and fresh meat are where bulk turns into waste, unless you freeze part of it the day you get home.

The one habit to start with

If you only change one thing, look before you shop. Five minutes with the fridge door open, a list with quantities on it, and a dinner planned around whatever is closest to turning. Every other habit on this list gets easier once that one is in place.