Expert Tips That'll Reduce Food Spoilage In Your Fridge

When going to the supermarket, it can be easy to get excited and overbuy your groceries, with the good intention of cooking it all. Then life gets in the way, and two weeks later you'll find rotting tomatoes or wilted greens at the back of your fridge. Spoiled food is not something that any of us intend for, as it's an unnecessary waste of food and money. But it happens — and sometimes it feels unavoidable. To get some expert tips on how to avoid food spoilage in your fridge, Daily Meal interviewed Maria Baer, Founder of The Baer Minimalist, an in-house organizing service. 

Baer says, "The key is visibility. Place more perishable items toward the front and group similar items together." She goes on to advise that having a "use soon" section in the fridge for items that are expiring soon is also a great fridge organization hack. Keeping everything noticeable really is vital, which is why Baer also recommends to use clear containers and labels with visible dates. Categorizing your fridge so that you have specific areas for leftovers or vegetables, as well as consistently checking and reorganizing these sections is a great way to reduce overbuying or forgetting what you already have. But Baer's most important tip for reducing food spoilage is simple: "Be mindful about what you purchase".

It might sound obvious, but overbuying groceries is definitely increasing your food waste. That's why Maria Baer suggests meal planning plus prepping to avoid waste. It makes sense that going into the grocery store with a specific list based on what you're meal planning for is a great way to avoid unnecessary purchases. If you don't live far from the supermarket, it might also be a good idea to visit more frequently rather than going once a week and stocking up on perishable food. This way you can purchase foods closer to when you will use them, minimizing your food waste.

Something as minor as shopping when you're full rather than hungry is also a great way to avoid overbuying. The hungry version of you may go a little overboard when food shopping and buy things you don't actually need. Eating before grocery shopping will help reduce those impulse buys and help you stick to your list. Bear suggests regularly checking what you already have in your fridge so that nothing lingers unnoticed, so won't be doubling up at the supermarket. There's no doubt that even with these handy tips you'll occasionally be left with unusable food. When this happens, Baer advises to compost any items that are compost-approved.