Earth day tips for reducing food waste and preventing illness
As the world celebrates Earth Day Friday, USDA is offering tips that both save the environment and money. This spring, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued some food safety recommendations to help consumers reduce foodborne illness, resource use, and unnecessary spending for Earth Day.
The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that the leading 15 foodborne pathogens cost the US economy more than $15 billion annually, because of an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. In addition to this, ERS estimates that 133 billion pounds of food goes uneaten each year, a loss of approximately $161 billion. Simple actions such as cleaning your oven, allowing your refrigerator to properly circulate air, and downloading the FoodKeeper app can help reduce your risk of foodborne illness, your impact on the environment, and the cost of your bills.