HOW TO CUT FOOD WASTE

Some ways to reduce the amount of food you waste:

Shop wisely. Make a meal plan, create a grocery list and stick to it. Take stock of what you already have before buying more. The grocery store is not a place for wishful thinking. One survey found that more than 60 percent of food that goes bad in households is from people planning recipes they never actually make. If you can, go to the store more frequently and buy fewer items -- just what you know you'll cook and eat in the next few days.

Buy locally. Fruits and vegetables from the grocery store usually have been in transit for a week or more. That means they will go bad faster than produce bought from local sources right after they are picked.

Plan for one. Food waste is particularly hard to avoid if you're cooking for one. Food, especially meat and produce, is often packaged for several servings, so it's hard to use it all up before it goes bad. Use the freezer to protect those extra servings, or cook it all and then freeze. The bulk bins in stores can help, because you can buy as little as you need. Or order at the deli counter, where you can ask for, say, three slices of cheese or a third of a pound of meat.

Cook wisely. Don't whip up a huge pot of soup right before you leave town for a few days. Serve reasonable portions; people can always get seconds, Bloom says. Save -- and eat -- leftovers.

Compost. With a well-kept composting system, food scraps can decompose into a rich soil amendment in a matter of months.

Reduce together. Make cutting waste a household project. Talk about what each member of your family can do to reduce personal food waste. Teach children the value of food by involving them in the shopping, cooking and composting of food. Ask them how much of their lunch they end up throwing away at school. Show family members how to repurpose leftovers by making frittatas or stews.

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN