Speak Out: How Do You Avoid Wasting Food?

You had the best of intentions. You bought that fresh produce, that nice cut of meat, that warm, wonderful loaf of bread, fulling intending to use it to make a delicious meal.

Then life happened, you got distracted and forgot about nature's bounty awaiting you in the fridge.

But you get a smelly, moldy reminder the next time you open the crisper drawers in your fridge.

Last year, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported that 40 percent of food in the United State is never eaten.

That adds up to a huge financial cost each year - $165 billion, according to the NRDC report.

Wednesday was World Environment Day and Pope Francis spoke about food waste during his address on that day.

“We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry!,” Pope Francis said. “I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy."

According to Reuters, a study backed by the United Nations said simple solutions such as reducing portion sizes and better food storage would go a long way to alleviating food waste around the world.

Other strategies include going to the grocery store often but buying less, avoiding impulse buying and over-stuffing our carts and fridges, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Speak Out: How do you avoid wasting food? Do you have special ways to use up odds and ends so that nothing's wasted?

Share your tips with us in the comments!