Food Waste Prevention Week is here—running April 7–13, 2025—and Food Bank of Alaska is joining more than 700 partners nationwide to tackle one of the most overlooked issues in our food system: waste.
Here in Alaska, where food costs are high and access is a challenge in many communities, reducing food waste isn’t just practical—it’s essential.
Let’s be honest: food waste happens to all of us. Life gets busy. Plans change. That produce you swore you'd use? Yeah, it's in the back of the fridge...again. But with a few simple shifts, we can keep more food out of landfills and put it to better use—whether that means saving money at home or feeding more Alaskans across our network.
Let’s break it down:
An estimated 38% of food in the United States goes uneaten. That’s food grown, harvested, transported, and shelved—only to be tossed.
A family of four could save between $1,800–$3,000 every year just by wasting less food
Every wasted meal also wastes land, water, energy, and the labor that brought it to our plates
Reducing food waste is one of the fastest, most affordable ways to fight climate change
And most importantly? Every bit of food we save opens up more opportunities to strengthen food access and equity—especially here in Alaska, where the need is greater than ever.
Food Waste Prevention Week is all about action—and you don’t have to be a chef or a zero-waste warrior to make a difference. Start with what you already have at home.
One of our favorite tools is the Eat or Toss Quiz—a fast, science-based way to find out if that odd-looking tomato or spotty cheese is still good to eat. Spoiler: it usually is.
Need help planning meals without overbuying? The Meal Planning Guestimator has you covered. Just punch in how many people you’re feeding, and it tells you exactly how much to buy. No guesswork, no waste.
Not sure what’s fact or fiction when it comes to food waste? We’ve got you covered—
Freezing is your secret weapon. Bread, berries, milk, cheese, even eggs (scrambled first!)—you can freeze almost anything. Think of it as hitting pause on your groceries.
Plan to not stick to your plan. Life happens—soccer practice, late meetings, impromptu takeout nights. When meal planning, schedule one less dinner than you think you’ll need. That one adjustment can save a fridge full of good food from going to waste.
Food Waste Tips You Can Use Today
If you’re ready to cut waste and save money, here are five easy strategies from our partners at SaveTheFood.com:
Sketch out a meal plan – Pick 2–3 meals before shopping, then plan to eat the most perishable items first.
Store food smartly – Use airtight containers. Add a paper towel to your greens to keep them crisp.
Make “Fridge Fridays” a thing – One night a week, clean out the fridge and use what’s there. Get creative with leftovers!
Freeze, freeze, freeze – Slice and freeze bread. Shred cheese before freezing. Even milk can be frozen and shaken when thawed.
Rethink expiration labels – “Best by” and “Use by” are about quality, not safety. When in doubt, trust your senses.
This week, we’re encouraging Alaskans to share how they’re reducing food waste. Whether you’re remixing leftovers into something delicious or rescuing wilted produce with a stir fry, show us your moves!
📲 Tag @FoodBankofAlaska and @FoodWastePreventionWeek and use the official FWPW Giphy stickers on your Stories.
Food Waste Prevention Week ends on April 13—but your impact doesn’t have to.
Keep the momentum going by downloading your Food Waste Scorecard to track progress and set new goals. Try just one or two new habits a week. Share what’s working. Encourage others. You don’t have to do it perfectly—just get started.
Because when we waste less, we feed more. And that’s a win for all of Alaska. 🤎