New app helps reduce food waste

By Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. April 17, 2015 Food waste is more than an inconvenience. Wasted food is wasted money. It's a missed opportunity to feed those in need. It's an environmental hazard as it creates methane gas, which endangers the ozone layer. To help consumers make better use of the food they purchase, the U.S. Department of Agriculture collaborated with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute to create the FoodKeeper app. The FoodKeeper app is free and available for both Android and Apple devices. The FoodKeeper app offers storage advice about more than 400 food and beverage items. It also has the following features: Storage guidelines for specific foods and storage conditions — refrigerator, freezer and room temperature Cooking tips for meat, fish and eggs to keep you safe from foodborne illnesses Interactive calendar function to help you manage your food storage This app is part of a larger effort, called the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, aimed at: Reducing food waste by improving how food is produced, stored, labeled and cooked Recovering food waste by connecting usable food to food banks and pantries Recycling food waste to feed animals or create compost, natural fertilizers and bioenergy What are your thoughts about food waste? What is your personal goal for better use of food? Is it financial, environmental or something else? Please share how you manage your food for best use. April 17, 2015