Wasted Food, How much do you throw away?

Have you ever stopped to think about how much food you waste in a day, month or year? If you are on a tight budget I would imagine the waste is minimal if nonexistent, but I believe that many of us are guilty of tossing food.  

You might have packaged or canned foods in your pantry that are well past the expiration date, maybe over-ripe fruits and vegetables hiding out in the produce tray in your refrigerators, because as diligent as many of us are we sometimes get busy with life and forget to check the expiration dates and end up wasting food.   

According to the website http://www.stopthehunger.com in the US we will waste 93,000 tons of food today, and that number increases every second according to the real time statistics that are posted on the web site, take a look it is frightening.

Here is another disturbing statistic; according to the writer and blogger Jonathan Bloom, Americans throw away about 197 pounds of food per person annually. You can check out his blog and website at www.wastedfood.com.

I would like to suggest that this weekend save yourself a trip to the grocery store, save some money and shop in your own kitchen; you might be surprised by what you find.

Check your freezer, refrigerator and pantry for food that is about to expire and create a meal before you have to toss it! 

Just in case you were wondering pasta does have an expiration date!

What are you cooking this weekend and are you going to check those expiration dates?