The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) in partnership with education curriculum specialists Young Minds Inspired (YMI) has developed a No Taste for Food Waste education program meant to address food waste by educating future consumers about the problem.
The campaign comes as 40% of all food produced in the United States is discarded. What’s more 20% of the food we buy is never eaten. The effects of food waste are astounding on the economy. It equates to about USD218bn of food lost each year.
Targeted at middle and high school students in family and consumer, environmental science and health classes, the curriculum materials, which include a teacher’s guide, lesson plan, reproducible student activities and more, have been distributed to more than 65,000 educators across the country.
Furthermore, as children go back-to-school, the NFRA also offers some tips to reduce food waste, as well as ideas to pack less wasteful launches:
- Consider purchasing more foods from the frozen and dairy aisles! You can use just what you need and put the rest back in the fridge or freezer for the next time; foods are perfectly portioned thus producing no waste; freezing technology and eco-friendly packaging keep cool foods fresher longer, and provide much longer shelf life (and less waste); costumers are paying for 100% edible food.
- Plan meals and use a shopping list – it helps to avoid impulse buys and unnecessary quantities, and you purchase only what is needed.
- Eat what you buy – know portion sizes, don’t prepare too much and always eat leftovers.
