Use Food Well Washington
“Wasting Food Wastes Everything.”
In 2021, the Co-op composted over 51,000 pounds of food waste. That’s equivalent to 33 of Christianson’s Nursery’s 2021 giant pumpkin winner—an impressive amount of squashed squash! The Co-op diverts tons of food waste from the landfill every year (literally), and composting is only one way we do it. However, the number also highlights an important issue in our state, our nation, around the world, and right here at home: food waste.
The statistics are staggering. The United Nations food and agriculture organization estimates that if 25% of the food lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million people. Here in the United States, 40% of all food is wasted. In contrast, one out of every eight people is food insecure, one in six being children. And in Washington, the Department of Ecology indicates that 17% of all garbage sent to our disposal facilities is food waste, and 8% has been determined as edible at the time of disposal.
With numbers like that, it’s clear to see why food waste reduction is such a critical issue. Beyond the potential to feed more people, wasting food wastes resources and contributes to climate change. Think about what it takes to grow a single strawberry, especially if it’s not from Skagit Valley: the water, fertilizer, packaging, labor, fuel, and any number of other inputs. If that strawberry ends up in the trash, energy and resources are needed to dispose of it, too. When that moldy berry is thrown away, methane—which is about 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas—is released into landfills. Wasting food wastes all of our resources.
That word: resources. They’re not infinite. We know that. Neither is food, which is a friendly reminder that food is a natural resource, and we should treat it as such. It’s also the reason that in 2015, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a national goal of reducing food waste by fifty percent by 2030. Then in 2019, Washington State passed legislation establishing food waste reduction goals, tasking the Department of Ecology with adopting a plan to measure and reduce food waste. In an interagency effort; Ecology worked with the Washington departments of Agriculture, Health, Commerce, and the Office of Superintendent, along with over 100 subject matter experts to research, perform a literature review, and compile best practices to complete the planning for Use Food Well in Washington (UFWW) in December 2021. The plan is a roadmap to a more resilient food system through food waste reduction with two statewide goals:
Goal 1: Reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.
Goal 2: Reduce at least half of the edible food waste by 2030.
Similar to the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), UFWW goals are to be met through three strategies in order of priority: prevention, rescue, and recovery. The plan includes thirty actionable recommendations across all sectors of the food system, top to bottom, to reduce food waste and wasted food. It focuses on federal and state policy, funding, public education, and infrastructure development. All thirty recommendations can be found on the Washington State Department of Ecology’s website (ecology.wa.gov).
UFWW Definitions
Food Waste: waste from fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds, grains, and similar materials that results from the storage, preparation, cooking, handling, selling, or serving of food for human consumption. It includes, but is not limited to, excess, spoiled, or unusable food and includes inedible parts commonly associated with food preparation such as pits, shells, bones, and peels. “Food waste” does not include dead animals not intended for human consumption or animal excrement.
Wasted Food: the edible portion of food waste.
Prevention: refers to avoiding the wasting of food in the first place and represents the greatest potential for cost savings and environmental benefits for businesses, governments, and consumers.
Recovery: refers to processing inedible food waste to extract value from it, through composting, anaerobic digestion, or for use as animal feedstock.
Rescue: refers to the redistribution of surplus edible food to other users.
Prevention is the priority, and now is the time to move from planning toward action - what the Co-op and our shoppers can do. Let’s start with our own UFWW success story.
Use Food Well Washington Success Story – Pigging Out on Pumpkin
Speaking of giant pumpkins, our Produce Department often gives away free composting materials, like that of the giant pumpkin, to Pigs Peace Sanctuary and other local farmers. Pigs Peace Sanctuary is one of our 3rd Quarter Tokens for Tomorrow groups. Pigs Peace is a place of tranquility and happiness for unwanted or abused pigs. Happiness is a big pig pigging out on a giant pumpkin.
Larry at Pigs Peace Sanctuary
Otherwise, when the produce department needs to get rid of organic matter, it places compost outside the produce back door in giant plastic bags up for grabs on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s not a poundage we track, but it’s another way the Co-op helps recover food.
Using Food Well at the Co-op
There are urban legends of major grocers dumping edible food into dumpsters, only to lock them, so not even the divers have access. Not infrequently, we receive requests from local groups for our “extras”: items beyond their “best by” or “sell by” date. Truth is, we don’t have enough to give away. Extra berries? Frozen for ice cream. Extra bread? Say yum-yum to our hand-cut croutons and Tuscan bread pudding. More extra bread? We give it to employees or donate it to Neighbors in Need. We also have employee free bins for produce, deli, and bakery items. It’s usually a mad dash to snag the cookies and cake; those goodies definitely aren’t going to waste.
Here are just some of the other ways the Co-op supports using food well:
The Deli. As mentioned above, surplus foods are designed to end up in the Deli. Yes, we use fresh and organic ingredients, but our recipes are also tailored to take those “best by”/”sell-by” items or ugly produce and turn them into the delicious dishes you’ve come to know and love. That was always the plan.
Bulk Foods. The Co-op is one of the few remaining stores that has a Bulk Foods Department, and we’re committed to keeping it because shopping in bulk gives you the freedom to buy as little or as much as you need, so you can cut down on cost, food waste, and packaging all at once. We even replaced the bins in 2020 for a cleaner, easier experience, when most stores were removing bulk bins altogether.
Reduced Oxygen Packaging (ROP or vacuum-sealed packaging). We introduced Reduced Oxygen Packaging in our Meat Department in 2021. Vacuum sealing meats extends the shelf life and reduces at-home food waste. The packages are clearly marked with use or freeze-by dates, so there’s no confusion on whether or not it’s still edible.
Food Preservation Products. Proper storage of food is another way to reduce waste. The Co-op carries several products that help you store, pack, and preserve food for future consumption, many of which are reusable. Reduce, reuse!
Support of Local Food Organizations & Food Systems. From food donations and 4% Friday funding to partnering with local farms and school garden-to-kitchen programs, the Co-op has several mechanisms to help educate the community about food resiliency and to help get food to those who need it most, instead of sending it to the landfill.
What You Can Do
Set Your Own Food Waste Goals. Reducing food waste by 50% at the State and National level is a lofty goal, and will be a collaborative effort from top to bottom. Government agencies, retailers, and restaurants will all need to do their part. And so will we: consumers are the largest source of food waste–more than grocery stores and restaurants combined. So, picking a few things you can do to enact your own “Use Food Well” policy is a crucial part of reaching the 2030 goal. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Meal Plan + Shopping List. Kudos to all the folks who already meal plan and shop with a list based on the plan. That’s a feat. For everyone else, it’s a worthwhile investment to sit down and make a list. You know exactly how much you need so you don’t waste food or your hard-earned dollars. Pro Tip: visit skagitfoodcoop.com/sales-flyer and click on the Co+op Deals flyer. You can build a shopping list of current sale items.
Shop in Bulk: The Co-op has a Bulk Department! We encourage you to shop it. It’s another touchpoint in the food system where food waste and materials waste overlap – you can bring your own container and get as little or as much food as you need. Plus, it often costs less than pre-packaged food. Savings for your pocketbook and the planet.
Store Food Properly. When food is stored correctly, it lasts longer. Simple as that.
Eat Your Leftovers. Another obvious, yet overlooked, way to make sure food gets eaten, especially if it’s hiding in the back of the fridge. If you’ve got a hodgepodge of veggies hanging around at the end of the week, throw them in a weekend breakfast hash or omelet.
Eat Local. Supporting local is always encouraged, but the point here is that if for some reason the food does go to waste, fewer resources will have been wasted along with it (fuel, mostly).
Become a Label Expert. We agree. Labels can be confusing. “Best by” is often a qualifier of quality. Your food might be the freshest if eaten by the “best by” date, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the food isn’t good. One of the UFWW federal policy recommendations is standardization of food labeling to reduce confusion around Best By and Use and/or Freeze By dates.
Split Restaurant Meals: I can think of very few instances where I’ve wished I ordered more when eating in a restaurant. More often than not, my dinner date and I lament over our fullness and promise to split something next time. Sharing is caring.
Connect to Local Food Organizations. There are several food rescue and hunger relief organizations in Skagit County with opportunities to help if you’re able. You can volunteer, donate food or funds, or if you have an excess of fruit or veggies in your own backyard, contact the gleaners (Skagit or Fidalgo). They may be able to help rescue and distribute what would otherwise go to waste.
Backyard Composting. Food scraps. We’ve all got ‘em. Backyard composting is a great way to recover that waste if you’ve got the space. There are a few viable methods, and you can find a vermicomposting guide on our website (that is, composting with worms).
Donate Your Patronage. If you received a patronage dividend this year, there’s still time to donate it to the Skagit Food Distribution Center. SFDC is the centralized distribution center for all of the food banks in Skagit County. Each year, SFDC works tirelessly to provide 1.5 million pounds of food to fifteen local food banks and four hot meal programs that serve over 45,000 residents.
Our Continued Commitment to You
The goal is to reduce food waste, and we will continue to do our part by examining our systems and cutting back even more where it’s possible. The Co-op is also committed to providing our shoppers with more opportunities to reduce food waste. You can expect to see additional kitchen hacks, including Using Food Well stories. You can also expect to see more food waste recipes for food items that are past their prime, but still safe to eat. Overripe avocado? Brown bananas? There’s a recipe for that. Because it’s July, we’re starting with a strawberry recipe.
In the meantime, savethefood.com and NRDC.org are great resources for more tips, like custom meal plans and perfectly-portioned shopping lists for your family or a get-together with friends. If you’re a person who’s invited Alexa into your home, put her to work with your food waste questions. How to store melons? She knows. Can you freeze mayo? Best not to. Need to use up last weekend’s bacon? Throw it over a campfire for bacon s’mores. It is summer, after all.
Savethefood.com even has a calculator to see how much money you could save on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis if you commit to your food waste goals. Did you know? A 4-person family can lose at least $1,500 a year on wasted food. Saving food saves you money, and it saves our precious natural resources.
In fact, saving food saves everything.
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Have a story about how you’re using food well? Or a food-saving moment? We’d love to hear it! Submit yours to community@skagitfoodcoop.com.
Information and statistics provided by the United Nations, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Washington State Department of Ecology.