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Welcome to the first week of the Stop Food Waste Challenge! This week we will focus on understanding our own habits and planning ahead to prevent wasted food. 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.
In the United States, nearly 40 percent of the food that is grown is never eaten. This is a waste of all the water, fertilizer, land and energy needed to get that food from the fields to your table. It’s not just a problem for farmers, stores or restaurants; nearly half of this unused food is wasted in our homes. That means we all have the ability and the responsibility to put our food to better use.
Get to know what you throw
Many people 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!
Is there a pattern to the type of food you throw out? For this week - or for the whole challenge - track the food you could have eaten but did not, such as half an apple, leftovers, plate scrapings, or produce that spoiled.
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?
- It got lost and forgotten in your fridge?
- You bought something you "should" eat, but never found yourself reaching for it?
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. Even if it seems small, it adds up over time!
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 11 will be entered into a drawing 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.
Stop Food Waste Challenge tips
Throughout the challenge, we'll provide you tips for how to use the EcoChallenge web platform, which powers the 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
*Ramsey County and Washington County employees and their immediate relatives are not eligible to receive a prize.
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