Agricultural News
Beef Board Offers Tips this Holiday Season to Help Stretch Leftovers and Reduce Food Waste
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 17:24:00 CST
The Cattlemen's Beef Board has made it a goal to help consumers reduce food waste. With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas just around the corner, many of us will be overwhelmed with leftovers that will hopefully be eaten, not just eventually thrown away. To help you make the most of your meals, RON's Associate Farm Director Carson Horn, recently visited with the Beef Board's Secretary-Treasurer and Nebraska cattle feeder, Joan Ruskamp, who shared some of her tips for stretching those leftovers and reducing your waste.
"We're encouraging consumers to get involved in eliminating whatever food waste we can by managing what they're buying and what they're using and showing how to reuse leftovers in creative ways," Ruskamp said.
Americans waste 40 percent of their food, says Ruskamp, and equates that figure to approximately $2500 in lost income for the average family. She points out, too, that it is not just the food that is wasted, but the resources that went into producing the food as well.
"As a farmer that's hard because we manage our resources so carefully," Ruskamp said. "I believe every family can use $2500 to spend towards other items."
Ruskamp offers several tips to cut down on your family's waste. For example, when buying groceries, think about what foods are perishable. Be sure to put those where you can see them in your refrigerator and pantry and won't forget them; front of shelf - front of mind. To keep track of things, she recommends taking an inventory of your food in the house regularly, or plan your meals for the week, so you only buy what you need and everything is ensured to be used before they go bad. Storing things properly, especially in the freezer can significantly stretch the lifespan of food as well. Finally, she encourages consumers to find creative ways of repurposing leftovers into new meals.
For recipe ideas designed to do just that and help you plan ahead, Ruskamp strongly advises visiting Beefitswhatsfordinner.com.
Listen to Horn and Ruskamp's entire conversation for more tips and ideas to reduce food waste and how to get the family involved, click the LISTEN BAR below.
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