Baton Rouge, LA
– The U.S. Food Waste Challenge calls on organizations and businesses across
the food supply chain to join the fight against food waste. On World Health Day,
April 7th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reaffirmed its commitment to
reduce food waste with the launch of a new food application. The application is available for Android and Apple devices.
Developed by the
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, with Cornell University and the Food
Marketing Institute, this new application informs users on how to store food
and beverages to maximize their freshness and quality. By helping users
understand food storage, the application empowers consumers to choose storage
methods that extend the shelf life of their items. Users will be able to keep
items fresh longer than if they were not stored properly.
The FoodKeeper
application offers users valuable storage advice about more than 400 food and
beverage items, including various types of baby food, dairy products and eggs,
meat, poultry, produce, seafood, and more. Every year, billions of pounds of
food go to waste in the U.S. because consumers are not sure of its quality or
safety. USDA estimates that 21 percent of the available food in the U.S. goes
uneaten at the consumer level. USDA also estimates that at the retail and
consumer level, 36 pounds of food per person is wasted each month.
"This
application will help reduce food waste by showing users how to store foods
properly, and reminding them to use items before they are likely to
spoil," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This can help
consumers save money and reduce the amount of safe food going to
landfills."
The application
features include the following:
- Specific
product pages for more than 400 items. These offer users storage timelines
for the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.
- Cooking
tips for meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. Cooking advice is
offered to ensure users prepare these products in ways that eliminate
foodborne bacteria.
- Calendar
integration, which allows users to enter the purchase date for products
and offers notifications when products are nearing the end of their
recommended storage date.
- Users
can search the application with swipe gestures or voice control.
- If
a user has not found the information they are looking for about a product,
they can submit a question to USDA using the 'Ask Karen' feature of the
application. 'Ask Karen' is USDA's 24/7 virtual representative. The system
provides information about preventing foodborne illness and safe food
handling, storage, and preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products.
The application
is part of a larger effort between USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency called the U.S. Food Waste Challenge. Launched in 2013, the Food Waste
Challenge calls on participants across the food chain – farms, agricultural
processors, food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, universities,
schools, and local governments – to join efforts to:
- Reduce
food waste by improving product development, storage, shopping/ordering,
marketing, labeling, and cooking methods;
- Recover
food waste by connecting potential food donors to hunger relief
organizations like food banks and pantries; and,
- Recycle
food waste to feed animals or to create compost, bioenergy, and natural
fertilizers.
By joining the
Challenge, organizations and businesses demonstrate their commitment to
reducing food waste, helping to feed the hungry in their communities, and reducing
the environmental impact of wasted food. The Challenge's inventory of
activities will help disseminate information about the best practices to
reduce, recover, and recycle food waste and stimulate the development of more
of these practices. The FoodKeeper application will help reduce the amount of
food going to landfills and minimize resources lost producing food that doesn't
end up eaten, enhancing the goals of the Food Waste Challenge.
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