I grew up in a household where wasting food was frowned upon, so I always felt guilty if I didn’t go through all the leftovers in my fridge before they got spoiled. Lately, it seems like most people are trying to be eco-conscious about not wasting food.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, an American family of four loses approximately $1,500 per year on food waste. This figure changes based on the cost of food and the size of a family, with some evidence showing that families with children and higher incomes tend to waste food the most. The upside to this is that some programs are being put in place, like the US 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, which aims to reduce food waste in our communities.
If you’re looking to reduce your waste footprint at home, there are apps that can help you cut back on food waste. Some are helpful in reminding you of items you may have forgotten about in your fridge, and others connect you with businesses that want to get rid of food before they close for the day at a discounted price. Either way, if you’re looking to waste less food, this is a good place to start.
1. Too Good to Go
Reduce food waste through local businesses
Too Good to Go is a free app that was originally founded in Copenhagen and has since spread to 10 countries in Europe and North America. It connects you to local restaurants and stores that have leftover food that’s sold for a discounted price to the public to avoid food waste.
I discovered this app a couple of years ago through word of mouth and loved the concept. It’s common for restaurants to dispose of food at the end of the day, so this was an alternative that prevented perfectly good food from being dumped.
When you sign up for the app, you’ll get a list of restaurants or businesses in your area participating in the Too Good to Go program. The businesses will provide the hours when you can come and pick up the “surprise bag” they gather for you based on the food they’re trying to get rid of. You will reserve a bag and pay the fee, which varies by store through the app. The one downside is that you can’t control what foods some establishments give you, so keep that in mind. Depending on where you’re located, demand may be high, so it’s best to reserve your bag as soon as possible.
2. Oh A Potato
How many times have you looked in your fridge and been stumped about what to make? Or maybe you noticed the bag of spinach you bought a week ago has officially gone bad before you even had a chance to consider using it. It’s common for food to go to waste in your fridge if you get busy during the week or forget about it altogether. Enter, Oh A Potato, an app meant to scan items in your fridge to help you meal prep and offer recipes collected from everywhere online. The app will cost you $7 a month, $40 for the year or $200 for a lifetime.
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