My family has always been pretty good at using leftover ingredients and finding ways to use whatever is in the fridge or cupboards to come up with a meal. However, I know lots of people who think nothing of leaving food on their plates at a restaurant to be thrown away instead of taking the “doggie bag” of leftovers home for another meal.

We often allow food to spoil in the fridge, causing it to be thrown away. We are literally throwing money away.

There are often fruits and vegetables that are not able to be sold that could be used to help feed people who are hungry. Food waste is a big problem in America. In 2010, that problem was worth approximately $161 billion, or more than 133 billion pounds.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40% of the food supply at both retail and consumer levels.”

This comes from the USDA Economic Research Service.

There is now a federal interagency collaboration to reduce food loss and waste, in a signed formal agreement with the Federal Drug Administration, USDA and Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction of food loss and waste by 2030.

Through the efforts of the food bank network of Second Harvest, Feeding Pennsylvania and Feeding America, there are teams of people who work with the food industry to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. They work with farmers, retailers and government agencies to save unwanted food from landfills and move donated grocery items to where it is needed most.

Second Harvest seeks donations of unsaleable, but edible, products from local companies.

Our healthy pantry initiative nutrition educators have provided some great ideas for ways to use overripe produce. I am happy to learn some new ideas and share them with you here.

• Bake a crumble cobbler or crisp.

• Freeze it to blend into smoothies.

• Crush it and spread it on toast like jam.

• Add it to a quick bread or muffins.

• Slow cook a chunky sauce for pancakes or stir into yogurt or oats.

• Use it as a salsa topping for grilled meat or fish.

• Puree it with oil, vinegar and herbs to make a salad dressing.

• Mix it with yogurt and freeze to make popsicles.

• Puree and add it to milk to make flavored milk.

Very ripe or leftover vegetables can be used in stir-fry, pizza toppings, fried rice, soup and stew, added to pasta salad, omelets and egg scrambles, roasted as a side or roasted and pureed into a smooth soup or sauce. You can also add some flavor and nutrients to tomato sauce, savory quick bread or savory pancakes or potato cakes.

Learn more at fda.gov/consumers/food-loss-and-waste and feedingamerica.org.

Editor’s note: This was written by Jenn Dietz, HPI chair and pantry co-manager.