I still remember how shocked I was the first time I learned that Canadians throw out an average of 13% of the groceries they purchase. I was only a teenager at the time and the thought of all that wasted food was incomprehensible to me. But as an adult, I’ve experienced firsthand how easy it is to forget food in the fridge until it’s no longer edible. That’s why I was so excited about taking part in the GLAD Fresh Food Challenge. With some planning and plenty of GLAD products to help keep food fresh, I was on a mission to not waste a single bit of food over the next two weeks. These are the three tips that helped me tackle the challenge successfully!
Start Meal Planning
Meal planning was one of the most helpful steps I could have taken to minimize food waste. I’ve actually heard from meal-planning friends many times before that having a meal plan is one of the most effective ways not just to minimize food waste but also to save money on groceries by not buying unnecessary food. My boys and I all love fresh fruit and vegetables, but I did have a bad habit of buying too much of them and then letting some go bad in the fridge. Planning out in advance how I would use the peppers, carrots and broccoli I bought was a great solution.
Package Food Properly
Using GLAD Cling Wrap, Zipper Bags and Press ‘n’ Seal, I was able to keep food fresh for longer. I hadn’t realized just how lax I had been in this regard and once I started packaging my food a little better, I was amazed at how much longer it lasted. I had already been using GLAD Zipper Bags to keep things like cheese and cut vegetables fresh, but I tended to just leave fresh produce open in the crisper drawers. Wrapping it in Cling Wrap instead resulted in all my vegetables staying fresh longer, something I hadn’t expected. And the GLAD Press ‘n’ Seal was the handiest way to seal up a plate of leftovers properly or package up individual portions of various products. Personally, I liked making individual breakfast wraps and sealing them with Press ‘n’ Seal. In the morning, the boys could just open one up, microwave it for a few seconds and enjoy a hot and delicious breakfast!
Cook Food That Keeps
One of the biggest personal challenges I have with minimizing food waste is dealing with leftovers since my boys’ appetites are so variable. Some days they’ll gobble up everything on their plates and ask for more, while other days they’ll only pick at their food, resulting in way more leftover dinner than I was expecting. By choosing dinners that can easily be used to create another meal later, I minimize food waste on days when my boys just aren’t eating much. For example, leftover roasted chicken and rice can be used to make a delicious chicken soup the next day!
Two weeks after starting the challenge, I have been able to virtually eliminate food waste in our home. While there were still occasionally meals that had more leftovers than I expected, being able to properly seal up food meant that it lasted longer and could be eaten later. And not only did that mean that I was wasting less, it also meant I was saving money! Take the GLAD Fresh Food Challenge for yourself and see if you can go a full two weeks without wasting any food. Once you see how much money you can save, you’ll want to keep improving your food care habits even more. And with a few simple steps, it’s not that hard to make sure that the food you buy gets eaten up instead of thrown away!
Lillian Brown says
Use Glad products all the time
Amy Stack says
I love the Press ‘n Seal! It works well on plastic dishes that plastic wrap doesn’t work as well on. I also struggle with food waste, but I try really hard to stay on top of it!
Angela Mitchell says
I hadn’t really thought of how to make food last longer in the fridge. I kind of just throw the food in there, but this gives me something to think about.
Swapan says
nice article
Sharlene says
I try to only shop for foods my family will eat – but even then, our compost gets full 🙁
shelley says
We try so hard to only buy what we will eat but as everyone knows this is so difficult. having good food storage makes such a big difference.
kristen visser says
thats all we use is Glad 🙂 the freezer bags are awesome
Lynda Cook says
It must just be me, for some reason I just cannot get the pressnseal to ever work for me!
Aimee says
Thanks.
Doris Calvert says
We always use Glade but still throw out a lot! Really wasteful
Soozle says
Great tips! The price of food has really started going up and I know I personally try to stretch what I buy as far as I can!
kathy downey says
Great tips,this product is so helpful in the kitchen
rochelle haynes says
These are nice tips!!
Treen Goodwin says
I also love the press and seal works awesome , i use it all the time , best thing they could have came out with 🙂
amber b says
I tend to not have left overs these days
Mishelle says
I try to plan but have the ability to cook more veges than I actually need – even when I try not to I either cook too many or too little. Well, veges and pasta really – I’m awful with spaghetti even with one of those measurers in my noodle holder that’s supposed to tell you how much to cook per person!
M
Marilyn Legault says
I’m a big fan of Zipper bags. Sometimes I overload my freezer with leftovers.
Julie G. says
It’s amazing how many leftovers you can save to reuse. It can really reduce your grocery bill.
Denise E says
Great tips!
DARLENE W says
I have always been happy using Glad products
Guppy says
Debbie Downer here – Although I will use reusable food storage containers I just cant get into using plastic wraps. So wasteful and I wonder what it does to the environment? Id rather throw a bit of food out than wads of cling film. Your meal planning to avoid excessive leftovers/waste is a great idea instead.
Florence C says
I love Glad products. It is a trusted brand.
Karla Sceviour says
love Glad products,,use it all the time.
Lori R says
I like the Press “N” Seal for plastic and odd shaped containers
Susan says
A tough challenge. I like the idea of planning ahead, so that if there are any leftovers, they can be used as a basis for a future meal. Just getting ready to make some homemade soup from the chicken I cooked!
Soni K says
I’ll have to try the press “n” seal! Love the other products!
Carla says
We need to start meal planning! Thanks for the helpful reminder!
Sherry K says
I have tried the Press ‘n Seal and find it is super for keeping melons fresh, too
Judy Cowan says
Great tips. I am in the process of starting to do meal planning to try and stretch our grocery budget and cut back on the amount of food we are wasting.
tammy ta says
good tips-thanks
Stephanie LaPlante says
Luckily everyone in my household hates wasting food no matter what it is. These products are our best friend.
GARRY S says
GREAT TIPSW
Victoria Ess says
I’m pretty good at not throwing away leftovers and have a huge stock of Tupperware to help us out with that.
Jenn vO says
Interesting – I never thought of wrapping up fresh produce before putting it into the fridge – it seems counter-intuitive!
angela m says
This is a great article, I was just having a conversation with my aunt a few days ago about wasted food
Erika Belanger says
Ugh I hate left overs. Its hard with us because hubby works out od town a lot and my kids barely eat! So a lot of food gets wasted here but I am trying hard not to! I will have to start wrapping up my food better!
Chandra Christine O'Connor says
we call my hubby the leftover man he eats them up so not much gets thrown out.
Tracy says
I love Glad products, we use them for all sorts of things in our house -not just the saving of foods 🙂
Neils Thor says
wrapping produce-good idea
Lee-Ann says
Growing up in a house with 5 other siblings, my parents taught us not to be wasteful. I try and do the same with my family – and I think I am succeeding!
Wanda Tracey says
These are great tips.I grew up in a large family and despise wasting food but it happens.I really like the ‘Press N Seal’ to keep things fresh.
Nena Sinclair says
I use a lot of Glad products in my household. I especially love Press N Seal! I try to buy meats in bulk and then divide it into smaller pkgs using Glad Freezer Bags.
Laurie P says
We do a great job of not letting food go to waste. I teach my kids to only take what they know they will eat, and that they can always come back for seconds. For those days when I purposely make double batches, glad products have been so helpful in keeping foods safe and fresh! A lot of food usually tastes better as leftovers too 🙂
Vesper Meikle says
Rarely throw away food – I plan the weeks menus, we eat what we cook and we don’t replace perishable foods until it is eaten
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
I’ve found it difficult adjusting from cooking for a family of 9 to just cooking for my son and I. I’m afraid we don’t manage to eat everything before it goes off but I do freeze an awful lot. Even a loaf of bread is too much and I divide it up and freeze some of it. The rest I keep in the fridge where it keeps much longer.
Fan R says
Looks like Glad products help much in managing grocery keep fresh and no waste at all, great!
Jodi Mitrovic says
I shutter to think how much food we waste in our home! I’m going to challenge my family to this and see how we do. Glad has been a trusted name in our home for years!
Kristine Ewald says
A tough challenge buyt accepting
beth says
I use glad wrap almost daily. I really dislike throwing out food and I dont mind left overs. Freezing food is always helpful too
nicolthepickle says
We don’t waste much here. The occasional scraps go to the chickens.