How to Reduce Food Waste When Moving

Many things need to be done when you are moving, and the last thing you think about is food in your refrigerator. It is wrong to throw away food that is still good for consumption, but at the same time, it is unnecessary to keep all food supplies that you do not need. For that reason, here are some suggestions that can help you to reduce food waste when moving. There are a few necessary steps to complete this part:

• Create an inventory of all food you have;
• Get rid of expired food;
• Use leftovers as much as you can;
• Share your non-perishable food with friends, family, etc.
• Give away extra food to charity organizations.

Start making your meal plan

A few weeks before your move starts, make a meal plan which will save your money and reduce food waste. Like this, you will make your purchasing easy and practical because you will not buy food that you do not need. Before you go shopping, always check what sort of ingredients you have in your kitchen to ensure leftovers can be used before you start making a new list for food.

Make an inventory of your food

As we said before, the main thing you should do is to check what sort of food you have in your home and create an inventory list. Take a look in your fridge, freezer, drawers, every secret place, and start sorting all food content together. For instance:

• Frozen food: Vegetables, meat, etc.
• Liquid food: dressings, sauces, olive oil, cooking oil;
• Refrigerated food: eggs, milk, cheese, cream, butter, etc.
• Canned food: fruits, vegetables, soups;
• Cooking/ Baking supplies: salt, sugar, dry pasta.

When everything is sorted, it will be simple to start with the next step by checking the expiration date.

Check the expiration date

The expiration date labels are something that consumers should check before purchasing any food. One of the reasons is in the microbiology and physical stability of the food and using them before they expire can give you more nutrients. Take extra precaution when deciding to eat food after the expiration date because sometimes that can cause serious health problems like food poisoning. Meanwhile, after separating all food that you have in your home, go through items and put aside all the food you will consume days or weeks before your moving.

Eat perishable food first

Perishable food is the sort of food you should consume first to avoid unnecessary waste. That is one reason not to buy more food before already eating what you have in the fridge, or use it to make a tasty dinner for your family, friends and make a phenomenal party before leaving.

Give non-perishable food

One smart way to prevent waste is to give non-perishable food to your friends, neighbors, or local charity. Moving to another place is a great way to share food with people without any wrong feelings about it because the primary reason is you cannot take all that food with you because of the higher cost of transportation or lack of space. At the same time, when you have too much non-perishable food in your kitchen, consider donating to the places like local charity. In this way, you will do something good for your community and people who really need it.
Before donating food, make sure that items are not opened and check if the expiration date is still valid. Many moving companies Brooklyn are collaborating with charity organizations, and they will donate your food for free, especially if they are part of the organization as Move for Hunger.

Prepare food that you will take with you

When you are done decluttering your food, it is time to start packing the food you are taking. Choose the right moving boxes Brooklyn. There can be all different sorts of food. For that reason, you will need to pack them properly. So, how to do that?

• Frozen food: moving frozen food is not an advisable option, but in case you really need to take it with you, the best solution is to use coolers to transport it. Without a cooler device, frozen food will start to melt and become rotten. It can create damage to the other items you are carrying with you.
• Dry food: packing dry food is less trouble than dealing with frozen food. Before you start with packing dry food in the cardboard box, do not forget to seal all open boxes or plastic bags with flour, sugar, salt, rice, pasta, etc. Afterward, set them in the zip lock bag to make sure there is no chance of spilling during your relocation.
• Food in glass containers: this kind of food can be risky for transportation because of glass bottles or containers. Therefore, wrap your glass bottles with few layers of packing paper. The next step is taping paper bundles and keeping them secure from unwrapping before placing them in the box. If there is space between a cardboard box and bottles, put some crumpled paper inside to prevent moving and shifting inside the box. Also, do not forget to label boxes with food. Like this, you can identify them quickly after arriving at your new home.

Prepare food for travel to your new home

Moving day is very energy draining. In that way, you will need to think ahead and prepare food to keep your energy levels up. One more thing, you will probably have some additional help during your moving date from your friends, family, or professional movers. That’s why it will be great to prepare at least some snacks or sandwiches, same as beverages, as a token of gratitude for their hard work.