Smart
Shopping
When many of us go grocery shopping, we typically overbuy. This is due to our high cravings for tasty foods that we pass by in stores. Many of us want the best deals on food and will buy big bundles that we end up not using. We also tend to buy more than we need so we can play it safe and make sure we have enough food. However, this causes us to produce a great deal of food waste. If we could teach early millennials and late Generation Z people the importance of smart shopping techniques and how to apply them, they could teach younger generations, helping reduce the amount of food waste we produce.
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4 ways to shop smarter
Make a shopping list
By making and following a shopping list, we are much less likely to buy things we don’t need and won’t eat. When making a list, consider how many meals you will eat until you need to shop again.
Shop more frequently
It can be hard to predict what we want to eat in the future, so, to prevent overbuying food, shop more frequently while getting less food. This ensures you will eat everything you buy and not leave anything to waste. You should also look at the food's expiration date to ensure you will consume it within your scheduled time.
Don’t fall for marketing techniques
Companies want us to spend more money and will promote their food products with special offers. These deals may include buying things in bulk, like 2-for-1 items, or purchasing larger portion sizes. Avoid getting such deals unless you know you will consume all of the food before its expiration date.
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Shop at farmers markets
We find fresher and longer-lasting food at farmer's markets. Shopping there helps ensure your food won't go bad, and you will be able to consume everything. Farmer's markets also tend to have more locally grown foods, which helps reduce the food's carbon footprint.
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Why smart shopping is important
Waste from our homes and unsustainable shopping make up about 39% of all food waste. This is roughly 42 billion pounds of wasted food due to bad shopping techniques. Smart shopping doesn't have to be difficult; it just requires simple planning and education. One person making these changes may seem insignificant, but if everyone became smarter shoppers, it would make a huge difference in limiting the amount of food waste in our communities.
