Food Waste Adds Up! Know The Cost

What do Weird Barbie, a talking cat, and the NFL have in common? One sensational Super Bowl spot: Weird Barbie (SNL’s Kate McKinnon) peers in the fridge and pulls out a hodgepodge of ingredients riddled with what on earth she could possibly make. Her cute-as-a-button companion Mayo Cat gives some sage kitchen advice: “May-ow!” And BOOM! Best Foods saves the leftovers!

Football fan or not, one thing we know is those commercials cost a pretty penny and are created by some of the best advertising minds in the world. And these minds understand the issue: we’re hungry, we don’t know what to do for dinner, there’s food in the fridge, yet we’re letting good food go bad and spending way too much money on food we throw “away” (by the way, there is no away). Food waste adds up! Spoiled food can cost a household over $1,600 a year on average! And over 40% of all food in America is wasted. Gross!

And while Best Foods, or even mayo, may not be your preferred magic ingredient to make taste, not waste, the message is clear: it’s our responsibility to reduce food waste at the individual level. We, as consumers, are the largest source of food waste, even more than grocery stores and restaurants combined.

So, because it’s Food Waste Prevention Week, our challenge to readers is simply to waste less food. It’s a natural resource, after all.

Find more cost-saving ways to put a “paws” on food waste on Page 8, including recipes, storage tips, and resources from SaveTheFood.com.