Centre Region COG Launches Food Waste Reduction Campaign

 

Centre Region Council of Governments Regional Refuse and Recycling Program wants to help residents “know more, waste less, and eat well” with a campaign that kicked off this week.

Misconceptions around food waste could be costing the average family $1,866 a year according to research from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Households report that they don’t think they waste as much food as they actually do, and CRCOG aims to change this by emphasizing both the economic and environmental impacts of reducing food waste.

With quick facts and easy to follow tips distributed on social media, the ‘Know More. Waste Less. Eat Well.’ campaign will clear up this misinformation for Centre County residents.

“Food waste is such a surprisingly large contributor to greenhouse gases that reducing food waste can help us achieve our regional sustainability targets,” states Shelly Mato, administrator for the CRCOG Refuse and Recycling Program. “Learning to discard less usable food helps us live better by wasting less money, eating better because we know how to buy and store fresh foods, and making us more respectful of where our food comes from.”

The current COVID-19 crisis has caused Centre County residents to stock up on food and stay at home. With more people buying in bulk and making fewer trips to the grocery store, there can be an increase in food being wasted, costing both the consumer and the environment. Given these circumstances, CRCOG is asking local residents to be responsive in taking additional efforts to reduce food waste.

The campaign will include weekly reminders on social media to inspire households to rethink their food waste. With a series of facts and tips — such as ‘Food for Thought: Many dates on foods refer to quality, not safety’ and ‘Food for Thought: 1/3 of food bought goes uneaten’— Mato hopes residents will follow CRCOG’s #FoodWasteFriday which will highlight resources like left-over recipes, documentaries and videos about food waste, and apps that help with meal planning and shopping.

CRCOG’s Regional Refuse and Recycling Program serves residents of Benner, College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton townships as their designated agent. CRCOG is responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction, contractor compliance and enforcement of the municipal solid waste & recycling ordinances.

Find facts on food packaging labels and food waste below, and more information and tips at the CRCOG and campaign websites.

Food Packaging Labels and Food Waste

Many individuals do not know the difference between food packaging labels such as best-by, use-by and sell-by labeling. This confusion can result in consumers wasting food that is still safe to eat. According to the USDA, “food products are safe to consume past the date on the label, and regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food product prior to its consumption.”  

Below is an explanation of the difference between “best-by,” “use-by” and “sell-by” dates.

Best-By

This suggests to the consumer the date by which the product should be consumed by to assure peak quality and best flavor. Packaged foods, like pastas, cereals, and foods sealed in a box, bag, can or other containers, will be safe to consume past the ‘best by’ date. They may eventually become stale or develop an off-flavor.

Use-By

A directive that marks the last date recommended for the ‘use’ of the product. This does not necessarily mean the item will make you sick if eaten after the use-by date but is to ensure acceptable quality of the product. Once the use-by date has passed, product quality is likely to decrease quickly which could cause the safety to lessen.

Sell-By

The sell-by date informs retailers of the date by which the product should be sold or removed from the shelf. Passing the sell-by date does not mean a product is unsafe to consume. Specifically, shelf-stable products can be safely used after the ‘sell-by’ date. These are foods that can be safely stored in a sealed container at room temperature including non-perishable products like canned and bottled foods, rice, flour, sugar, spices, oils, and foods processed products that do not require refrigeration.