Wasted Groceries – The Most Common Foods We Toss Each Week

There's no doubt that inflation is still a major issue here in the United States. Just this past weekend, I think my grocery bill was slightly under $200.  That's for ONE WEEK of groceries for two people.  I'm not sure how families are managing.  Of course, I know there are probably plenty of ways I could save myself money, but I'm not one to do a lot of couponing, going to multiple stores, or cutting out things we truly enjoy. But let's face it.  Each week there's the dreaded wasted groceries!

According to SWNS, the average American spends almost $3,000 a year on unused groceries. In this same survey, they found the average grocery bill was around $248 a week, but 1 in 10 people claimed to spend close to $500.

And when it comes to the weekly wasted groceries, we usually toss about $63 worth of what we bought. Part of the waste is due to leftovers.  We often cook more food than we actually wind up using, and those leftovers don't always get used up.

Many people claimed they tend to forget about food, which leads to wasted groceries.  And for others, it's simply that members of the household don't like leftovers. And for me, it's that I eventually get tired of eating the same thing over and over!

Another interesting stat found in the survey is that we start wasting before we even get home.  This is because we tend to overestimate how much food we'll actually need.

I know I've been guilty of tossing quite a bit of food, and I always feel guilty about it.  I have tried to be better about it, but there are still times I slip up.  Some ways to cut back on food waste includes using leftovers creatively, creating a meal plan, or composting.

Personally, I have tried to make a more conscious effort to only cook what's needed for the week. And I've gotten better about freezing excess when I've made spaghetti sauce or chili.

When you look at it from the perspective of just how much money that is each week, and almost $3,000 a year, it really makes you want to work on a better strategy.  Imagine what you could do with a couple thousand bucks each year.  Plus, only buying what you are going to use can definitely lead to less clutter in your fridge and pantry too!

A new Consumer Reports study has ranked the riskiest foods. They analyzed data from the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture between 2017 and 2022. Their researchers focused on "widely consumed foods" that had recalls over a specific duration of time.

According to Consumers Reports, the CDC estimates that 48 million people each year fall ill from salmonella, listeria, E. coli, or other bacteria or viruses in food. They said most recover on their own after a few days. But about 130,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses yearly.

Some of the foods that are ranked at the top of the list include bagged salads, poultry products, and deli meats. The top five are leafy greens, deli cheese and meat, ground beef, onions, and poultry. Bagged salads and other leafy greens ranked number one on the list. They found 50 different recalls linked to them since 2017. Also, it has the most caused deaths. Last on the list at number ten is flour. Unlike leafy greens, flour has had zero total deaths.

"We aren’t saying people need to avoid these foods entirely," says Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at CR, who led the analysis. "After all, these foods are all usually safe, and many of them are in fact important parts of a healthy diet." Ronholm continued to say in Consumers Report that the list underscores the "importance of following best food safety practices with all of your foods, including knowing how to track, and respond, to food recalls when they happen." Read the entire list, and learn how you can reduce your risk at Consumer Reports.