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Welcome to the first week of the Stop Food Waste Challenge! This week we will focus on planning. Learning more about what you waste, planning out what you will make and what you need to buy, and keeping track of the food you have at home are important first steps on your food-waste-reduction journey.
Get to know what you throw
Is there a pattern to the type of food you throw out? For this week - or for the whole challenge - keep track of the food you put in the trash or compost.
Many people working to reduce food waste have found that simply tracking what food goes to waste and why has the greatest impact on preventing food waste in the future. Knowledge is power!
To get a complete understanding of food waste in your household, we recommend also conducting a fridge and cabinet cleanout or otherwise assessing the food in your fridge, freezer, and pantry that you are unlikely to eat.
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Use the food waste tracking worksheet
Use the food waste tracking worksheet (DOCX) to explore food waste in your household.
The worksheet not only has you track what you toss, but also asks you to reflect on why the items went to waste and what you could do differently to avoid wasting it in the future.
 Discover the root cause of wasted food
Make sure to think carefully about the reason your food went to waste.
For example, it’s probably not just that the food spoiled. Did it spoil because you purchased too much of it? Did it get lost and forgotten in your fridge? Or did you buy some fruit or vegetables for healthy snacks but never found yourself reaching for them?
The more you dig into the root cause of why the food was wasted, the better you’ll be able to come up with effective solutions.
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Calculate the cost
It’s also a good idea to keep the receipts from your grocery trips while you are tracking your food waste and calculate the cost of the food that goes to waste.
This helps your household understand the financial impacts of wasted food.
The average family of four spends $1,800 each year on food they never eat and end up throwing away. How does your household compare? Imagining all the ways you could better spend that money will keep you motivated to waste less!
Report your findings and be entered into a prize raffle
Once you’ve spent some time tracking and assessing food waste in your household, submit your findings by completing the food waste tracking survey.
Everyone who submits their data and a reflection on what they could do differently to reduce food waste by Friday, August 12 will be entered into a raffle to win a prize!
Take action
Ready to find out why food goes to waste in your household? Choose the action: Track my wasted food in the planning category.
 Leftovers pizza with Chowgirls
Wednesday, August 3 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Join Chowgirls’ Culinary Director, Liz Mullen, for a fun virtual cooking demonstration. The kickoff event will feature creative ideas for turning leftovers in your fridge into delicious pizza while Chef Liz talks sustainability and ways we can all do our part in reducing food waste.
Register for the kickoff event.
Hennepin County and Stop Food Waste Challenge partners are hosting several free events throughout the challenge. Find a full list of events here.
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Stop Food Waste Challenge tips
Throughout the challenge, we'll provide you tips for how to use the EcoChallenge web platform, which powers the Hennepin County Stop Food Waste Challenge, to help you make the most of your experience.
To make it easier to access the challenge webpage for reporting and sharing:
- Bookmark the page or add it to the home screen on your phone - see Add to Home Tutorial (PDF) for instructions
- Save your password so you don’t need to remember it each time
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