By: Dana Gardner, MS, RD, LD/N
Spring is upon us and it is the perfect time to reset and refresh your kitchen. Throughout the seasons, our pantries, cabinets, and refrigerators can become cluttered and inundated with forgotten items, duplicate purchases, and products that are beyond peak quality. A thorough reset can help reduce waste, ensure foods are still safe for consumption, and save money. By learning how to properly check expiration dates, store foods correctly, and use what you already have, you can give your kitchen a fresh start while building healthier and more sustainable habits.
Reducing Food Waste
The first step to reducing food waste at home is gaining a clear picture of what you have in your kitchen. Many people are surprised to discover duplicate items, expired foods, or ingredients they forgot about once they take everything out of their cabinets. Start by removing everything from your pantry shelves or cabinets. This may feel like a big task, but it is the best way to see all your food items at once. When food remains hidden in the back of cabinets, they often go unused until they spoil or pass their quality date. Next, group similar items together. For example, place canned vegetables in one area. grains and pasta together, baking supplies in one section and snacks in another. Grouping food helps you quickly see what you already have and prevents unnecessary duplicate purchases during your next grocery trip. As you remove items, take the opportunity to check date labels and evaluate the quality of the food. Remember that many date labels are indicators of peak quality rather than safety. If a product is past its “best by” date but still looks and smells normal, it may still be perfectly usable. Let’s look at what some of those labels mean.
Decoding the Package Dates
The various terms are not regulated, and except for baby formula, are not required.
Sell By:
This date tells the store how long to keep the item on their shelves. If it reaches the date before its sold, the store will pull it from the shelves.
Best By/Best If Used By:
Refers to when the quality of the item starts to decrease. You may notice a difference in taste or consistency after that date, but it will still be safe to eat.
Use By:
The same as “Best If Used By”. The Use By date is when the product loses its peak quality.
Expiration Date
Often same as ‘Sell by’ date.
Pantry Organization
Once the pantry is cleaned out, the next step is creating a system that helps you keep it organized over time. Organization may seem simple, but it plays a major role in preventing food from being forgotten or wasted. One of the most effective strategies is the First In, First Out method, often called FIFO. This is a system widely used in restaurants, grocery stores, and commercial kitchens to ensure that older food items are used before newer ones. In a home kitchen, FIFO means that when you purchase new groceries, you place the newer items behind the older ones. For foods that have been opened, labeling containers with the date open can be extremely helpful. This is especially useful for items like sauces, broths, grains, or bulk foods that may not have a visible date once the original packaging is removed. There are also several inexpensive tools that can improve pantry organization. Clear storage bins allow you to group similar items together while still being able to see what is inside. Shelf risers help create additional vertical space, so cans and jars are easier to view. Lazy Susans, or rotating trays, work particularly well for condiments, oils, and smaller items that tend to get lost in the back of shelves.
Refrigerator Organization
Just like the pantry, refrigerator organization plays a critical role in preventing both food waste and foodborne illness. Many people place items wherever there is space, but different areas of the refrigerator are designed to maintain slightly different temperatures. The top shelves are typically the most consistent in temperature, making them ideal for ready-to-eat foods. These include items like leftovers, prepared meals, beverages, and foods that do not require cooking before consumption. The middle shelves are a good location for dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. They are also a convenient place to store leftovers in sealed containers where they are easy to see and remember to eat. The bottom shelf is the coldest part of most refrigerators, which makes it the safest place to store raw meats, poultry, and seafood. Storing these items on the lowest shelf also helps prevent juices from dripping onto other foods and causing cross-contamination. The crisper drawers are designed to help control humidity levels, which can extend the life of fruits and vegetables. Some refrigerators even have separate drawers with different humidity settings—one for fruits and another for vegetables. Temperature control is another critical factor. The refrigerator should be maintained at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to slow bacterial growth and keep food safe for longer periods of time.
Now that you have the tools, it’s your turn to take the next step in resetting and refreshing your space. Use these tips to help transform the pantry and refrigerator from a cluttered storage space into a system that supports better food management and reduces waste.
Want more?
Check out our previous edition of Food for Thought!
March 16 is National Artichoke Day, which makes it the perfect time to spotlight this distinctive vegetable. For some picky eaters, artichokes may not always be the first vegetable that comes to mind. Their tightly layered leaves and spiky tips can look a little dramatic compared with most produce in the aisle.
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Incorporating nutrient-dense foods like brown rice and veggies into your diet is a great start to improving your overall health! However, there are certainly additional foods to continue adding to your Neverita for a healthier lifestyle. Make healthy living your season-long strategy and schedule a nutrition consultation today!
