Personal Narrative: What I Am Trying To Accomplish

Keep the date opened on containers or leftovers, do not use past safe date (varies by type of foods).

When we stock the bread, it takes a bit longer so once we are down to two pieces of bread, we put them in the oven for four minutes. We usually have nine baguettes we keep on the counter. When we are running low on chips, we just go to the back and cute open a huge box of chips that has about 60 bags of chips in them we usually do not have to stock them often. Lastly, for apples, we never usually run of out apples but when we do, we run to the cooler and get those. If we keep the apples out for too long and they are not in the cooler, we have to throw them away because they get disgusting and

Also instead of buying food which is just going to be left at the back of the pantry or refrigerator we should wait and buy small amounts so we do not end up wasting so much food.

One in seven American households lack a proper amount of food to maintain a healthy lifestyle. United States waste 133 billion pounds of food yearly. In 2010, supermarkets and grocery stores in the US tossed out 43 billion pounds, or $46.7 billion worth of food. (Dvorsky) Even with so many people in need of food it is unbelievable the amount of food going to waste at markets and restaurants. Given how many people go hungry in the United States each year, it is clear that an immediate change is necessary. There are many reasons why grocery stores should be forced to donate there pre-expired food, mainly to help those people not getting enough food, to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.

During one of my first days in London, my roommate and I decided that we were going to go grocery shopping. So, we make our way over to Tesco on High Street Kensington to get some food for the week. Well, actually, we thought it would last us a week but due to preservative laws in the UK most food, like vegetables, fruit and most meats don’t last much longer than a few days.

Household waste and the way Americans dispose of their trash is a huge source of food waste, if not the biggest. According to the article, Food waste within food supply chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050, American families throw out between 14 and 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy, costing the average family between $1,365 to $2,275 annually. A big factor of how America families are able to waste so much food is that food has become very cheap and readily available. Food costs less in the United States than nearly anywhere else in the world. As Brad Plumer said, “Most people reason, what's the big deal if some of it gets tossed?” They think there is no big harm in throwing away food because it was not that expensive, but in reality, it all just piles up. There is also a lot of confusion around expiration labels, with there being more than 10 different variations of expiration date phrasing. The different phrases tend to puzzle people and often prompt them to throw out food before its time. People think that "best if used by" means that food item cannot be eaten past that date or they will get sick. The same applies for "better if used by" and "sell by." People often just toss food out early and stay on the safe side. "Best if used by," usually applies mostly to non-perishable foods. The term describes product quality, where the product may not taste as good as it would if it were fresher but is still safe to eat or drink. The "use by" date

A once personal task is becoming impersonal as we progress. Globalization and the technological advancements have made it it difficult for the consumer to actually know what they are getting and changing the idea of the grocery store all together.

meal plan slightly. Use this diet plan as a springboard for your new way of cooking,

I realize I am going to need a lot of zip lock bags and mason jars. I never actually go through with the "Make 5000 Meals In 5 Days!" recipes. I'm clearly not as hardcore as I should

What I actually did for my project is I wrote down all the dates I went shopping and recorded whether or not I was successful in using my reusable bags or not. My first trip to Target was a complete failure, as I completely forgot my reusable bags and had to use three plastic bags instead. My next trip to the grocery store was more successful, as I remembered and used my reusable bag. The next time I went to Target, I made sure I had my reusable bag with me. My second trip to the grocery store, however, was not as successful as the first. Even though I brought my reusable bag with me, all the items did not fit, so I had to use one plastic bag. However, I redeemed myself during my last trip to Target, in which everything fit in my reusable bag. I also took pictures of both my

Shop with a list and stick to it, but it takes planning because you will need to know what meals you want to prepare for the next few days. Buy just enough for the meals you have planned, which brings us to cooking at home. Do you know how to cook, because eating out rarely saves you money on your grocery bill? People eat out and they still stock their freezers and refrigerators with food, food that spoils because they are not eating it at

My shelves were organized in less than 30 minutes, and it does feel better knowing I don't have a six year old can of soup lurking in the back somewhere. Cans rust over time and once you get the system home this gives you a chance to inspect your inventory. You may very well have to incorporate some of the older food into your daily use, and then buy fresh to build the stockpile back up. Inventory is important so inventory and organize at the same time using this system.

2. Check the dates: If you are not planning to eat a certain item with a short "use by" date, look for one with a longer "use by" date or just plan to buy it on the day you require. Be aware on the meaning of date labels: "use by" means that the food is only safe for consumption until the indicated day. Best before indicates the date up until when the product retains its expected quality.

Do you buy more than you can consume? Do you eat out a lot? Do you throw away your leftovers? Do you buy convenience packaged food such as bottled water or single serving size snacks? Do you throw away food after the expiration date?

Most people nowadays are too busy to cook food when they get home from a long day work shift. Prepackage food is the way to go for them.