Tossed Treasures And Wasting Less Food

Lea Rice talks about best practices for not wasting food in the home.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – How do you help make your food budget go farther? How do you help reduce wasted food at home?

Those questions and more were part of a presentation by Lea Rice, a Dietitian at Mahaska Health Partnership at The Book Vault this week.

Rice said that about 40% of the food in America is wasted. Rice shared tips and tricks that could be used in the kitchen to cut down on wasted food.

Rice focused on the most wasted foods in the home, namely fruits and vegetables. Those tips included things you can do to help prevent spoiling, such as freezing food as it nears the use-by date.

Using fruits and vegetables first versus potatoes and squash is an example of using food that may spoil faster thereby reducing waste and, potentially, your grocery bill.

Rice said the presentation was part of a grant through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Rice applied for a mini-grant and part of the stipulation is the number of presentations she will make.

Rice also covered what use-by and sell-by dates mean on labeling and how to identify if your food is spoiled.

Shopping in your refrigerator is one of the tips Rice shared during the evening. Rice said that many people “can pull a meal together” with the things they have in their refrigerator.