How To Reduce Food Packaging

How To Reduce Food Packaging

Many people are concerned that the foods they purchase are subject to excessive packaging. For convenience and appearance, food in America is usually encased in some sort of material intended to protect and preserve the food. Often, however, food packaging is more about grabbing consumers’ attention and ends up creating a lot of waste. If you want to reduce the food packaging that you use, here are some tips.

1. Buy in bulk
Bulk foods are not subject to fancy packaging. A reusable or recyclable bag of popcorn, for example, is far less wasteful than a package of individually wrapped microwave popcorn pouches. (It’s healthier too.)

2. Use cloth bags
This one has been reiterated time and again, but not often in the light of package reduction. If you bring your own bags. you don’t need to put every single lemon or apple into its own plastic produce bag. They can simply be put into your cloth bag loose.

3. Make it yourself
Whether it’s yogurt or bread, granola or soup, making your own version at home reduces packaging. Make a pot of soup and freeze it in reusable pint jars to instead of buying cans of soup. Buy bulk cornmeal and make your own tortillas and taco shells. These are just a few ideas – get creative and look up recipes!

4. Choose recyclable packages
When you do buy packaged food – and some of that is inevitable – look for packaging that can be recycled in your area, such as glass jars.

5. Buy from the farm
Purchasing your food locally and as close to the farm as possible is a good strategy for avoiding packaging. If you can, purchase your food directly from the farm.

6. Buy whole foods
Keep to the outer edges of the supermarket and purchase the whole, fresh foods that are located there.

It’s worth noting that these measures will save you money, too.

Source: EcoGreen (http://goo.gl/YH5Vq)