The BriarPatch Food Co-op has kicked off the new year by joining a nationwide challenge for retailers to reduce food waste. The store’s Sustainability Coordinator, Lauren Scott, says the Food Too Good To Waste campaign encourages residents to get more involved. She says the store’s web site has a number of helpful tools and resources. It can start with a diary that can more clearly quantify how much you waste…

Scott says the main goal is to keep food out of landfills….

Smaller meal portions might also reduce waste. You could also hold leftover meals with friends or, further down the option list, feed it to chickens or livestock. Composting could be another alternative. The U.S Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency say up to 40-percent of all food produced in the country is wasted, while one in six people experiences food insecurity. Of the food that’s not eaten, 42-percent is at home, 40-percent at retail outlets, and 16-percent at farms.