This Common Kitchen Mistake Is Costing You More Than $700 Per Year

How is your grocery bill lately? If it’s anything like mine, it has been going up, up, up for months. I’ve cut back on non-essentials, re-upped my Costco membership and cleared out a shelf in my garage for bulk buys of sparkling water and Diet Coke (and also some more nutritious offerings).

But there’s one other thing I do that saves me major money, and it couldn’t be simpler. It’s something that I learned from more than a decade working at a major food-testing laboratory, but according to a new survey by NetCredit, not a whole lot of my fellow Americans are doing the same. And it turns out it’s costing the average person more than $700 a year.

Interested in keeping your hard-earned cash? I thought so. Read on to learn how to reduce your family’s grocery bill—potentially by thousands of dollars—and help your community and the planet while you’re at it.

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What common mistake could be costing you big bucks?

Americans are literally throwing perfectly good food straight into the garbage—and it’s happening in large part because we misunderstand the “best by,” “use by” and other stamped dates on our packaged food. That thing I do that other Americans don’t? I don’t automatically throw food away just because the date passed.

According to NetCredit’s survey, which combined EPA food-waste data with more than 2,000 respondents’ beliefs, nearly three-quarters of Americans (and an incredible 88% of Gen Z) think these dates tell them when food is no longer safe to eat. As someone who worked in this industry for years, I can assure you that this is not the case.

Hold on—what do these labels really mean?

You’re right to be confused. One of the most common questions we fielded at the lab was about dates on food. Of course this makes sense, because who wants to roll the dice on food poisoning when you’re not sure something is good?

But rest assured that most dates stamped on food packages have nothing to do with safety, and they’re often not required by federal law (the one exception is infant formula, which you should not use after the date). Here’s what the labels actually mean:

• Best if used by or before: A best-by date is a quality indicator, not a safety one. After this date, the product might not be at its freshest, crispest or most flavorful.
• Sell by: This date is an inventory-management code for stores so they know how long to keep the product on the shelves before swapping it out for newer items.
• Use by: Manufacturers stamp this date on food to tell you when they think the product will taste best. Unless it’s infant formula, this date has nothing to do with safety.
• Freeze by: Meats and other commonly frozen foods often have this date on the label. Freezing food by this date will preserve the food at its peak quality, but it’s not an expiration date.

So when should you throw food away?

Don’t go by the label—instead, go your own senses and recommended food-storage guidelines.

Food stored at proper temperatures (under 40 degrees in the fridge, or in the freezer) will typically be safe after the date on the package unless there are spoilage indicators like bad odors, textures or tastes. Bread gets moldy, meat gets slimy and milk starts to smell funny due to the presence of spoilage organisms like yeasts, molds and bacteria.

One important note: Common foodborne pathogens, like listeria and salmonella, cannot be seen by the naked eye and do not typically change the quality of the food. To prevent pathogenic bacteria from multiplying, it’s important to cook foods thoroughly and store meat and prepared foods in the fridge for a limited amount of time before eating or freezing.

Which foods are people losing the most money on?

Bread is the big winner (loser?) here. According to NetCredit’s survey, Americans throw out nearly a quarter (22.7%) of the bread they bring home. Right behind bread is lettuce (22.6%), milk (22.4%) and chicken (21.3%). Potatoes, beef, bananas and deli meats are high on the throw-away list as well.

Interestingly, fish (16.7%) and pork (16.4%) are the two foods that are least likely to be tossed.

Which states are the worst offenders?

Utah throws away the most edible food per year, but it’s not because the Beehive State is more wasteful than any other—they simply have the biggest families. The average Utah household has 2.99 people, so the EPA’s $728-per-person finding means that Utahans could save $2,177 per year, per family, simply by throwing away less food.

California throws away slightly less food per household ($2,082), but because of the state’s enormous population (nearly 40 million people), they contribute $28.71 billion per year to America’s discarded food bill. Other high-volume food wasters—again, due to population—are Texas ($22.78 billion), Florida ($17.02 billion) and New York ($14.47 billion).

Maine comes in at the low end of the spectrum, with a household average of $1,653 in discarded edible food each year.

How else can you combat food waste and save money?

Besides taking those “best by” dates with a grain of salt and using smart storage strategies to keep food fresh longer, you can combat food waste in other ways. It starts with shopping smart.

• Only buy what you need. Instead of going to the store hungry or picking up stuff “just in case,” plan your meals for the week and only purchase items you can use within a reasonable time frame.
• Consider your family and storage options. I love Costco, but my two-person household is highly unlikely to rip through multiple pounds of fresh shrimp or chicken salad before it spoils. Make sure you have an appetite (and fridge and freezer space) for bulk buys.
• Check the label. Not because the food will go bad after the date, but because you might not be able to eat it before it finally does.
• Donate extra food. It’s perfectly OK to donate food that’s passed its expiration date—if you’ve stored it properly. (Never donate rotten food!) Look for food pantries in your area; many will take fresh produce and other perishable items.
• Compost extra food. Food is the No. 1 item taking up space in municipal landfills. As it rots, it releases massive amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas. Backyard composting is a great way to do your part for the environment.
• Do a sniff test. It bears repeating: If you reach for the milk and notice the date has passed, don’t just blindly dump it down the drain. Trust your senses.

Sources:

• EPA: “Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers”
• NetCredit: “How Much Could Americans Save by Reducing Food Waste?”
• EPA: “Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste”
• USDA: “Keep Food Safe! Food Safety Basics”
• FoodSafety.gov: “Cold Food Storage Chart”

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