Roughly one-third of the food produced that is intended for human consumption every year- around 1.3 billion tons and valued at USD$1 trillion- is wasted or lost. ... Developed and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food every year, at 670 and 630 million tons respectively.

It's scary how much food it's wasted all around when other people on the other side of the world don't have enough of it.

Here are a few tips on how to avoid food waste at home:

1. Avoid buying too much
One of the simplest ways to avoid food waste as a consumer is to buy less.

2. Think twice before throwing food away
While mould is a definite sign that something belongs in the garbage, it is not necessary to throw out foods that are slightly past their prime.

3. Always make a shopping list (and stick to it)
Buying foods that are already in the home can ultimately become another source of waste.

4. Organizing the kitchen with FIFO
“FIFO” stands for “first in, first out” and is a useful way to organize food at home. Many restaurants and grocery stores use this system to reduce waste, too.

5. Store food correctly
Perishable items, such as fruits and vegetables, each have their best way to store to avoid spoilage.

6. Make a weekly menu
Making a meal menu for the week may help some people organize their food usage and cut back on waste. (source)

Here are some scary facts about our food waste:

- The water used to produce the food wasted could be used by 9 billion people at around 200 litres per person per day.
- Annual per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115kgs a year for Europeans and North Americans, while in the south and southeastern Asia, it is 6-11kgs.
- Food loss and waste account for about 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
- If food loss was a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the US.
- Developed and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food every year, at 670 and 630 million tons respectively. Around 88 million tons of this is in the EU alone.
- If 25% of the food currently being lost or wasted globally was saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million people around the world.
- By mid-century, the world population will hit 9 billion people. By then, food production must be increased by 70% from today’s levels to meet this demand. (source)

Tip #97 Don't Waste Food