Thanksgiving Food Tips: Avoid Waste and Be Safe

Thanksgiving will be here soon. For many people that means family, friends, and celebrations with food. Unfortunately, that also means a lot of food being thrown away. According to the EPA, over 60 million tons of food is wasted each year. With the holiday season approaching, think ahead and make a plan to waste less food at your holiday parties. Here are some ideas:

• Cook for the number of people attending.
• Coordinate with family or friends about who is bringing what dish so there are no duplicates or too many similar dishes.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it. Even better, check in your refrigerator and pantry for supplies before heading to the grocery store.
• Use vegetable scraps and meat trimmings to make stock for your gravy.
• Add fruit and vegetable peels to your backyard compost pile.
• Plan a meal within a day or two that uses leftovers.
• Freeze your leftovers to enjoy later.

To protect everyone’s health, it is also important to remember the 4 Steps to Food Safety:

1. Clean: Wash your hands with soap and water often. Before preparation, wash fruits and vegetables, but not meat, poultry, or eggs.
2. Separate: Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce and meats.
3. Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to the proper temperature. Keep hot foods hotter than 140˚F and keep cold foods under 40˚F.
4. Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours.

For more about the 4 Steps to Food Safety at https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/4-steps-to-food-safety

Do you have other ideas to reduce food waste? Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter by using #putnamrecycles and tagging @PutnamHealthNY