Challenge Tips

Understand Your Food Waste Impact

Did you know that 33% of all food produced around the world is lost or wasted each year? Consider the number of times you’ve purchased a head of lettuce or bag of spinach, only to dispose of it a week later. According to Stop Waste Food Day, this lost food costs a family in the U.S. nearly $1,900 each year, on average.

Even worse, just a quarter of the world’s wasted food could feed nearly 800 million hungry people. That’s a sobering statistic.

Your Action for Today

Calculate your food waste and cost. You can do this in 3 simple steps:

1. Track what you toss. Throughout the day, note down any food you throw out or compost. Record the reason it was thrown out, including leftovers you didn’t eat and spoiled or expired food.
2. Calculate the cost. Estimate how much each wasted item cost when you bought it. You can use online grocery store prices for a ballpark cost.
3. Add it up. At the end of the day, figure out how much food was tossed in cups, weight, or pieces. Calculate the total cost.

This exercise provides a powerful snapshot of your personal habits and food waste. Surprised by the total? The good news is you can prevent this waste from happening again. With some mindful changes and tips from this challenge, you’ll learn to waste less — and help your household, your community, and the planet.

Join us on day 2: A sneak peek: Prevent food spoilage with the right refrigerator settings.

Find this helpful? Forward this email to a nurse friend or colleague and encourage them to sign up for the challenge at hnhn.org/challenges.