To produce food, you need lots of land, water, fertilizer or feed, gasoline for equipment and transportation, and packaging for the final product. All of those resources are wasted when you toss food in the trash, which releases methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, once it decomposes anaerobically in a landfill. About 21% of all food produced in the United States is wasted by consumers. The average household of four wastes about $125 worth of food every month. Broken down by type, about 50% of seafood, 48% of produce, 38% of grains, 22% of meat and 20% of milk that is produced is wasted. Even if Americans reduce their food waste by 5%, they would be able to feed 4 million people.

Here is how you can reduce the amount of food that you waste.

1. Keep an inventory of your food and condiments

It’s not uncommon for us to forget what we buy. It sometimes causes us to buy more of it even before we finish the first batch. Especially with sauces and certain foods that you don’t eat often, it’s easy to forget that it’s even there. When buying foods and condiments that you don’t eat or use very often, list them on a chart along with the date bought, tape it to your fridge and cross each item off after you’ve finished it.

2. Use a shopping list

Going to the grocery store with a shopping list cannot only saves time at the store but also reduces the food that gets tossed. When you are shopping without knowing what you want to buy, there is a tendency to buy on impulse even when you don’t need it or already have it. When it comes to making meals, too much of one ingredient or food item can mean that some of it will be stored for longer periods of time, which can increase the likelihood of it going bad.

3. Don’t buy bulk when you haven’t tried it

Supermarket sales often make it way too tempting to buy large quantities of food looks appealing but may not always taste the way you expected. In some cases, it may taste so unappetizing that you just end up tossing the remainder in the trash. So next time you see a sale on a bulk food item that you’ve never tasted, make sure that you buy a smaller package first, taste it, and if you like it then buy the bulk one.

4. Use expiration dates as a guideline

Expiration dates and sell by dates are not always accurate as to when food will become unsafe to eat. They are meant to determine how long food can maintain its quality and taste. Food can certainly become inedible long before its expiration date it has been opened and/or not stored properly. Some food can also be safe to eat and even taste the same weeks after the expiration date. In the case of sell-by dates, it often mentions on the package that the food can be eaten a week after the date. In a Lindt Chocolate store, I once saw a sign that said that chocolate bars can last for a few months after the expiration date if stored in a cool and dry place. The most accurate way to determine whether a food is safe to eat is to smell it, examine it for physical changes (like mold) and, in some cases, taste a little bit to determine if tastes odd.

5. Store it correctly

When food is not stored correctly it will not last as long. If you leave defrosted meat out for a few hours at room temperature, it will spoil. For many foods storing right means sealing up the bag or container and putting it in a pantry, refrigerator or freezer. However, there are sometimes tricks to make certain items last longer. Some of these include: storing asparagus and herbs in a glass of water, wrapping top of a bunch of bananas in plastic wrap, placing a paper towel over leafy greens when placing them in a container, storing potatoes with apples to keep the potatoes from sprouting, wrapping celery and broccoli in aluminum foil and wrapping cheese loosely in wax paper (not plastic).

6. Plan for less

The number of servings on a recipe is only accurate to a certain extent. More times than not, people will eat less than the actual serving size predicted by a recipe book or label. When preparing food for a special event or big dinner, try preparing 15-20% few servings than the number of people who will be attending. For a more accurate measure of how much to prepare, try using an ingredient calculator Check out: https://www.savethefood.com/guestimator