The Feed

40% of all food that is produced in the United States goes uneaten, and most of that is the result of households. It’s hard to believe, but if you pay attention to how much food you throw out in a week it might start to make a little more sense. In fact, a family of four could save on average $1,800 a year on wasted food alone. The waste isn’t intentional, but we don’t always have the best strategy or the knowledge to make the situation any better. 

Check out these tips for ways to save food you may not have known about. Save the groceries, and save your money!

1. Date Your Foods

When opening a can of sauce, a carton of eggs, or just putting away leftovers, write on the container the date in which they were first opened or stored. This will prevent the “Oh no, how old is this?” panic when you see an item you forgot about in the fridge. It will also help with food organization for tip #2.

2. Store the oldest foods in front

If you’ve started to write dates on your foods or you have just gone to the grocery store, place the already opened or older food items in the front of the fridge. Oftentimes many Americans will forget about what they have in the back of their fridge and it will rot. Simply by seeing what we have, we can incorporate the foods into a meal or a snack and prioritize eating them before they goes bad.

3. Freeze it while its ripe

You’ve labeled your foods and you know you have about a day left before your asparagus is totally wilted the way that it’s looking. Put it in the freezer! If you aren’t ready to cook with it yet it is better to save it for later than throw it away and waste the money. A common misconception is that freezing produce or protein causes it to lose its vitamin and mineral content, but worry not, frozen foods retain most or all of their nutrients until you decide to cook with them! You have nothing to lose but space in the freezer!

4. Know your labels

Many Americans will throw out food prematurely because they misread the labels on the food. 

“Sell-By” refers to the peak rotation of freshness for foods on shelves in grocery stores. It has nothing to do with food safety.

“Best-By” refers to the date of the peak taste of food, but does not refer to the expiration.

“Use-By” refers to the ideal freshness of the food, but does not refer to the expiration either.

The moral of the story is to always use your senses to tell if a food has gone bad. Look at it, smell it, and taste just a little. If all else fails, use google to know what signs to look for in a product that has gone bad.

5. Store the right foods apart

Some foods will produce ethylene gas as they ripen. It’s a natural process that may cause other foods around it sensitive to ethylene to ripen even faster! If the foods stored together on your counter seem to be going bad too quickly, this may be the cause. Store these foods as far apart as you can to maximize the time they stay fresh!

6. Treat herbs like flowers

By storing cooking herbs upright in a cup of water you can extend the time that they stay fresh. After getting back from the grocery, cut the end of the stem, cover the tops of them with foil or wrap if needed, and they will be fresh until you need to use them. (Asparagus, carrots, and celery also likes to be kept upright in water)

7. Wash produce as you go

Instead of soaking the entire container of blueberries when you get home, wash only the amount you intend on immediately eating. By washing them and putting the container back with the additional moisture you are creating conditions for mold to grow faster and for your leafy greens to wilt. If you notice there is already moisture buildup in these containers, place a paper towel in the bottom of the containers in order to absorb it and replace it when you notice it getting soggy. 

8. Not everything needs refrigerated

Avocados, citrus, bananas, nectarines, pears, peaches, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes can all be stored at room temperature or in a cool pantry. Even apples that aren’t quite ripe yet need to be kept at room temperature before being refrigerated. Just remember the tip about ethylene producers and keep those items distanced. Covering the stem of the bananas can also reduce the amount of ethylene they spread to nearby produce. 

9. Wrap opened cheese

After opening it is best to cover cheese in wax or beeswax paper in order to prevent molding. These papers also prevent any flavors from being transferred to the cheese, where plastic wrap can leach odd flavors into the cheese. 

10. Use reusable containers

Foods don’t always come in the best packaging for storage. Lettuce can come with too much moisture, grain and bread bags aren’t air tight, and some foods can be too dry. Consider moving foods, especially ripe ones, to reusable containers in order to preserve freshness longer. Bonus points if you bring produce bags to the grocery instead of using plastic! (Just make sure to wash them every once in a while to prevent bacteria growth.)

Start implementing some of these tips in your household and watch your grocery bill fall and your fridge stay stocked! If you are looking for more ways to reduce your food waste at home check out our blog on the topic!

We typically discuss food waste, a stage where food exits our food systems, but it is equally as important to understand where it all begins, the soil! At the beginning of food production, soil and farming practices set the stage for the sustainability of our food system. 

One of the ways farmers and producers are currently working to reduce the damage of industrial farming is through regenerative farming. The Regenerative Agriculture Foundation defines it as “any practice, process, or management approach that enhances the functioning of the systems on which it relies.” The methods that make up regenerative farming are deservedly now at the forefront of discussion in regards to climate change.

It may sound, at first, like a new buzzword, but the health of soil is at the foundation of agriculture itself. Soil may not look like much, but it is very much a living, interactive part of our environment. Soil provides key nutrients required for plant growth such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as well as many others. The soil itself is composed of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water⏤and all of it is affected by what happens in, on, and around it.

Much of regenerative farming involves the practice of making sure that soil is kept in tip-top shape in terms of the mineral, water, carbon, and nutrient content. In return, the farmland works symbiotically with the rest of the ecological landscape and stays arable decades longer. Healthy soil acts as a highly-effective carbon-sink, a natural pest repellent, and if treated right can produce healthier foods at a lower environmental cost as well. 

Industrial-level farming depends on intensive water and growing practices which results in depleted nutrients in the ground and eventually the destruction of the soil itself. Soil is often overtilled, underfed, and overworked until it loses all biodiversity and is effectively dead. When the soil is misused in this way it can become extremely difficult to grow crops and leads to further desertification of previously arable land. 

Nearly all large-scale farming operations in the US use methods that follow down that path, but there are ways to reverse the damage. 

Smarter crop rotation, using organic pest solutions, regenerative grazing, and more natural solutions can be incorporated in various degrees in order to preserve current farmland or regenerate current arid lands. Much of this has yet to be explored on the same scale as industrial farming as the organic and non-industrial farming sector makes up less than 1% of all farmland in the US.

Fortunately, many of these methods are proven tried and true where they are incorporated. 

Crop rotation is important for soil as some crops are extremely greedy in terms of the nutrients they absorb from the soil, whereas other crops act to replenish the soil with nutrients they return to their roots. It’s the give and take that allows soil to recover as opposed to intensive plants using up the nutrients in the same soil four seasons a year. 

Many regenerative farms also choose to allow grazers onto the fields while they lay fallow after the primary plant is out of season. The animals that graze fertilize the soil naturally and cause less destruction to topsoil as opposed to continuous tilling. 

Natural pest solutions are less harsh on the soil and have a much lower environmental cost to produce. Glyphosate, the primary ingredient in non-organic pesticides, actively attacks the amino acids in plants and only gets to store shelves after an immense amount of fossil fuels are used in production.

What do consumers want?

Consumers have clearly indicated through shopping habits that many prioritize natural solutions with the wave of organic isles that can be found in many grocery stores. In 2019, Nielsen found 73 percent of global consumers said in order to reduce their environmental footprint they would be willing to change their habits. 

With this in mind it is clear that in order to have a more sustainable food system it is as important to consider the beginning as it is the end of food production.

We don’t all have access to organic food or local farms, but we can all make sure that we smartly use the food we buy!

There is so much time, energy, and natural resources that goes into the production of our food today that it makes utilizing what we’ve grown even more important. Your resourcefulness can help keep climate change in check.

If you feel as strongly as we do about the topic then check out our blog about ways to reduce food waste at home. 

As many of you may know, our Director of Programs & Operations, Aubree Pierce, is a fantastic person with an incredible amount of drive and passion for our mission. Since stepping into her role with We Don’t Waste she has become a pivotal part of the organization. 

This makes it all the more difficult to announce that Aubree will be leaving us for a move across the country. Her energy and charisma will be dearly missed, but our team wishes her the best for the move and for all of her future endeavors! 

Sam Talarczyk, previously one of our awesome Food Recovery Specialists, has stepped into Aubree’s shoes, taking on the role of Director of Programs & Operations. Since joining our team, Sam has been an enthusiastic and hard-working team player. He is passionate about continuing to grow and optimize the organization and we cannot wait to see what he accomplishes!

And without further ado, here’s what Aubree herself has to say about her time at We Don’t Waste:

Over the last two years, I have had the great pleasure of working at We Don’t Waste. In the summer of 2019, the previous nonprofit I worked with closed its doors, and I found myself looking for another opportunity. I had spent the previous several years working in the realm of hunger and food waste, so I was excited to see an opening for a Food Recovery Specialist at We Don’t Waste. I got to know the ins and outs of the organization and more about our partners during my six months as a Food Recovery Specialist.

Aside from managing the operations through the pandemic, I was lucky enough to serve at We Don’t Waste through a time of growth and adjustment. I was able to participate in strategic conversations to develop plans and programs for the organization to have a greater impact on the community and collaborate with partners on several projects to address hunger and food waste. I have learned so much from my time at We Don’t Waste and have so many unforgettable experiences that I will always keep with me. It is bittersweet that I am leaving my position at We Don’t Waste as I am moving to Michigan to be closer to family. I am so thankful that the leadership team at We Don’t Waste took a chance on me and I will be forever grateful for the experience and growth that I have achieved as a professional during my time at this organization. I have truly enjoyed my time working with We Don’t Waste and I am beyond thankful to the entire We Don’t Waste team, the Board of Directors, and the Denver nonprofit network for the continued support that I experienced through the pandemic and beyond. I am excited to see the organization grow and flourish in the coming years. The impact that we’ve had on the community and on the state of Colorado as a whole is astounding, and I am proud to have been a part of such an amazing organization.

With gratitude,

Aubree Pierce

Understanding the impacts of greenhouse gases is one of the most popular scientific subjects of the past decade. As an organization, We Don’t Waste frequently compares our food recovery efforts to emissions saved.

So what is methane? Known as a “super-polluter”, methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and cause the overall average temperature of the planet to rise. There are several greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous Oxide (N20), and fluorinated gases. 

Many of these gases can be released by natural processes, and will continue to do so in a healthy ecosystem. What is concerning is that an estimated 60% of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are caused by human activities and are too rapidly increasing the quantity and density of these gases. The rate at which human activity produces these harmful gases is also expected to increase unless conscious action is taken to prevent it. 

Methane makes up approximately 10% of the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere emitted by human activity, but the impact it has on the atmosphere ranges between 25 times to 86 times worse than carbon dioxide. This is because the chemical shape of methane makes it incredibly good at trapping heat.

The gas only lasts in the atmosphere for about 12 years, just a tenth of the time of carbon dioxide, but wreaks havoc while resting in the ozone. This is how methane earns it nickname, “super-polluter.”

Cutting methane emissions by nearly half within the next decade would prevent a 0.3°C rise in the average global temperature by the 2040s. This would be a necessary step in order to meet the Paris Climate agreement which aims to keep the global increase in temperature below 1.5°C.  

There are a few different ways that the gas is produced. Methane is produced in the agriculture sector as a byproduct of livestock farming, from energy and industry, and from waste that is created by homes and businesses. Waste from homes and businesses makes up the third largest source of methane emissions (created by humans), so this is where we as consumers can make the most impact.

When households and businesses discard food, the organic material rots in municipal landfills and releases methane. We can change this!

We can also advocate for industry to change and become greener. The agriculture industry can work on reducing emissions by reworking the diet of the animals through anaerobic digestion, capturing the methane as it is released, and making changes to the manure collection and disposal systems. Cows themselves makeup about 40% of all methane in the atmosphere and the increasing demand for cow products means there will be even more burps and releases. Similarly, energy and industry standards for emissions are also being scrutinized and can be made “greener.”

There are a few ways you can help at home. Check out our blog on how you can reduce waste in your household. If you can decrease the amount of waste produced by your own household it will help decrease the methane produced in your local municipal landfill, which will directly improve the air quality in your area! As you learn to integrate these habits, share the news. Your understanding of the issue is twice as effective when you share it with a friend that can help you fight climate change.

The 1.5 degrees Celsius goal is important as the data suggests that this is the cutoff before there is serious, irreversible damage done. With climate change, comes major ecological shifts, most likely resulting in a disruption of food production and major agricultural repercussions.

Populations that are already at-risk or effected by food insecurity will likely experience the brunt of the challenges caused by climate change. It is our collective responsibility to make sure that we can reduce the damage by reducing our food waste and valuing the nutritious food we produce.

We call ourselves We Don’t Waste for a reason––and that reason is because food waste central to our mission. The food that we recover is just one part of the billions of pounds of food that goes to waste every year. 40% of all food, most of which is edible and nutritious, ends up in landfills instead of a stomach. From planting to production, to making it onto a shelf in your home, food is lost in every step of the process. 

Here are some fast facts to catch you up on the situation. 

Out of the 160 billion pounds of food that is thrown out annually, about 126 billion pounds of it is edible. 

A 15% reduction in food waste would result in a year’s worth of food for 25 million people. 

The food that ends up in a landfill ends up producing methane, a greenhouse gas that is up to 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide. 

With that in mind, it is clear that this problem has an obvious solution, save the food, protect the planet, and feed people instead!

There are two main categories of food waste that can help you understand the issue further…food loss and food waste. 

Food loss occurs during food production. Bad weather, a harmful pest, and a bumpy truck can all contribute to food being damaged and thrown out. A perfectly good tangerine in an odd shape or color may be thrown out by a grocer as it would be seen as ugly by a consumer. Market interest plays a part as well. As prices shift, farmers may leave entire fields unharvested due to the cost of labor versus market prices.

Food waste occurs in the form of unused foods in restaurants, hospitals, venues, and in your home. Most of the waste occurs in households, with about 76 billion pounds of food waste coming from the remains on your plate and food that goes bad in the back of the fridge. When you chop off half of the stem of the asparagus, that also contributes to the pounds of food rotting in your local landfill. 

There are several major offenses we all tend to commit that contribute to the reasons food waste is so prevalent in homes. 

1. Food Spoilage. About two-thirds of food purchased gets thrown away due to improper storage, partial use of food, lack of visibility, and poor planning. 
2. Over preparing. Many people cook large servings of food, some of which gets thrown away, or results in leftovers that sit until they are thrown away. 
3. Date label confusion. Many Americans will throw away good food based on the “Sell-By” date. The label is used for peak quality in terms of shelf life but does not actually correlate with how long the food stays good to eat. 
4. Overbuying. Many people buy bulk foods expecting to eat it all and save some money when, many times, the food ends up spoiling before it can all be consumed. 
5. Lack of Planning. Going into the store without a plan can mean buying ingredients you won’t use, foods you don’t actually like, or too much of an ingredient before it spoils.

Luckily, all of these issues are easily solved with a little forethought. Next time you go grocery shopping, take stock of what you have in your fridge, what you actually enjoy eating, and what meals you plan to make in the future. Creating better habits to prevent food waste is one way you can make a big difference in your local environment. Check out some tips here.

The food that ends up in your municipal landfill rots and produces methane, damaging the local air quality, as well as the groundwater quality. The resulting methane from food rot accounts for about 14% of all human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. It’s not just your local environment that suffers, think of all the gallons of water and wasted energy that went into growing the food. With fresh water and arable land becoming increasingly more difficult to secure, it is a lose-lose situation for farmland as well as your own neighborhood.

The consequences of food waste and the steps to improve are clear. It’s up to all of us to make the change! Help us spread the word to your family and friends so we all have the tools to do our part to help prevent climate destruction. 

Current food waste facts sourced from Food Print.

The month of May is nearly over, which means our matching campaign is nearing its end! The PB and K Family Foundation challenged us to raise $25,000 in a month, and in return they pledged to donate the same amount if we meet our goal.

If you’ve already supported the campaign, thank you! If you are still looking for a way to help us fight summer hunger, there is still time! Together, we have raised over half of the amount, but we aren’t there yet. 

Why donate now? Food insecurity is at an all-time high. You may not have heard the phrase “summer hunger” before, but one of the toughest times for food-insecure families is summer. There are several factors that are unique to summer that can create need that was not there before, and can further increase the difficulties already experienced by many families. 

School is out! But that also means that aid provided by schools is more difficult to come by, or disappears completely. Many families see grocery costs increase dramatically as children no longer have access to free or reduced-costs meals at school. Now that the children are home as well, someone has to watch them. Daycare and camp services add on additional costs month over month.

Other factors like increasing costs for groceries are also playing a part. The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a .6 percent increase in grocery costs in March, with a 2.6 percent increase overall within a year. This is the largest increase for grocery prices in a decade, and prices are expected to stay high due to supply-chain and distribution issues. 

All of this is multiplied by the fact that many people are still experiencing job-loss or financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic effects will likely linger with us for much longer than the virus itself as many individuals were displaced, furloughed, saw pay-cuts, and experienced any other number of challenging circumstances. 

You can help by donating now. Because of the match your donation is effectively doubled and can go twice as far in helping out Denver families this Summer. 

Commit to donate monthly! We just launched our Fork and Spoon Club, a program to reward donors who choose to commit to give to our organization once a month. It’s quick and easy to sign up, and there are fun perks to being a member! With VIP access to events, behind-the-scenes tours, and more, you can experience what our team does and see the impact your donations are making first-hand! With the match campaign your donation goes 12 times as far, as the match will donate the annualized amount of your commitment! 

Your support means that we can continue to collect fresh food that would otherwise be thrown away and redirect it to families that need the support. Our distribution network, with the aid of our partners, helps protect the planet and feed people all at the same time! The ozone is spared the greenhouse gasses of rotting food and your neighbors are given relief knowing that they have access to fresh, healthy food at no cost to themselves. It’s a win-win!

Help us finish strong with the match campaign this May and donate now! Your neighbors need you! If you’ve already given what you can, or just want to get more involved with our mission, consider volunteering! It’s a rewarding experience that supports your neighbors directly. 

Written by: Caroline Hissong, We Don’t Waste, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

This month we are excited to announce that we have launched the Fork and Spoon Club! We have always offered a monthly giving option, but decided to launch a formal program to thank our current monthly donors and to reward anyone that chooses to join from this point forward!

Why Donate Monthly?

Your donations go directly towards supporting the foundation of the organization. We recover food from our donors and distribute it to the 100+ hunger relief agencies that we’re proud to partner with, or to one of our mobile markets. 

Monthly commitments to our organization play a pivotal role in us operating year-round. Many donations are seasonal, as most donors consider giving during holidays or events, but the need for food support is always present in our community!

By choosing to continuously support us, it helps We Don’t Waste remain sustainable into the future. Because we can better predict our funds, we can better apply our resources to fight year-round food insecurity. It keeps gas in our trucks and the freezers running! A stable budget also means we can be more reactive when disasters like COVID make an immediate impact on the community. In 2020 we were able to mobilize a much more expansive program with our Mobile Food Markets because we knew that we had the support of the community. 

How do I decide what I can give?

If you have ever planned a budget, you have probably heard of the “latte effect”. That is, consider how often you go out to a cafe to get a coffee. $5 in one purchase might not seem like a large purchase at the time, but multiply that by the number of times in a year you go out for coffee and you would be shocked at how many hundreds of dollars it adds up to. All of this is to say, any amount you choose to give adds up quickly! If you can commit just $5 or $10 dollars a month, you probably won’t miss the change from your wallet, but after a year you’ve made a much larger impact!

It is completely up to you to decide what you can afford to give, but any amount you can give goes straight back into making our community a healthier and happier place. Your support leads to a stronger community, and we could not be more thankful for your decision to help!

What are the perks for joining? 

So you’ve decided to join the club, that’s great! You have our love and thanks for your generosity, but you also get access to some fun perks so you can get to learn more about our organization and the impact you’re making!

All monthly donors will receive a VIP invitation to We Don’t Waste Wednesdays––a monthly gathering at our distribution center to tour the facility, meet our staff, and enjoy food and beverages! If a behind the scenes peek at the operation isn’t enticing enough, we are a pretty fun crew to get to know as well!

Monthly donors can also look forward to an exclusive invitation to our fundraising events throughout the year. If fancy dinners and cocktails from local chefs are your thing, you’ll want to join us at our annual Fill A Plate for Hunger celebration. We recognize the work of our donors and sponsors, enjoy food from dozens of wonderful local chefs, and raise a truly awesome amount of funds to help us grow our impact the following year. If creativity and sculpture is more your style, you do not want to miss the Canstruction® event! Teams from local architecture and construction companies compete to build sculptures out of canned food Canstruction® has definitely become a cult-favorite among the participants!

Commit to donating in May, and the annualized amount of your commitment is matched by the PB and K Family Foundation! That means your donation is effectively doubled! If you choose to donate during the month of May and commit to $25 dollars a month or more, you will also receive a reusable We Don’t Waste Tote Bag! The tote features our logo on the front so that you can rep your pride on your next grocery trip. 

So with all of that being said, consider if monthly giving is right for you. It’s quick and easy to sign up, just a few minutes of your time can help keep good food out of landfills and feed hungry people instead!

Written by: Caroline Hissong, We Don’t Waste, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

More than half of the households in Colorado with children are struggling to find regular access to nutritious food.

Addressing food insecurity is a key part of our mission––but what makes summer hunger unique? Food insecurity is a state in which people lack reliable access to affordable and nutritious food. The summer season adds an additional set of challenges, as about 22 million children in the U.S. rely on food assistance programs providing free or low-cost lunches, breakfasts, and after-school snacks at their schools. With school shutdowns due to COVID many children in Colorado have already had less access to support programs and have had to endure more hunger during the school year than in previous years. 

When school is out for the summer, the National Summer Food Service Program reaches less than 1 in 10 children in Colorado in need. Challenges with transportation and/or having to travel an excessive distance to a food program site leaves the majority of these children without that lifeline. Families, very suddenly, have to come up with a plan to provide additional meals every day for each child in the household. 

While many people are feeling a sense of relief due to the accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine, the economic fallout of the past year is still devastating to much of Colorado’s population. Currently, more than 1 in 3 Coloradans currently considered food insecure. In order to feed their children over summer, the average family sees their grocery bill increase by $300 each month. This often leads to difficult decisions in which two-thirds of all low-income families have to choose between paying for utilities, medical care, or food. 

And for children, in particular, hunger isn’t just about a full belly; there are major health implications that come from malnutrition which can affect them the rest of their lives. For children this can mean more long-term health consequences such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, iron deficiency, and more.

Hunger and malnutrition contribute to reduced attendance and participation in school, as well as the “slideback” of education in the summer. Food insecurity also directly affects children’s learning capacity, as well as their chances of graduating high school. By feeding our children during the summer they’re more likely to succeed during the school year and find security as an adult.

While food insecurity is a problem for millions of families over summer, the issue has worsened in 2021. For many children in Colorado their health and happiness is on the line this summer. 

Our Mobile Food Markets provide FREE, healthy food to Colorado kids and their families, supporting them during the extra challenges of the summer. Thanks to the work of our volunteers and our generous donors we are able to put millions of servings of fresh food on plates that would have otherwise been empty. 

Your donations are doubled for the month of May thanks to our active donation matching campaign. Please consider supporting We Don’t Waste in our mission to fight summer hunger.