During Food Waste Prevention Week, SCDES Encourages South Carolinians to Save Money, Resources by Reducing Thrown-away Food

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  
April 7, 2025 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — During national Food Waste Prevention Week, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) reminds residents of the everyday steps they can take to limit the amount of food that gets thrown away. When food is wasted, all of the resources that went into producing the food also are wasted, and money is spent needlessly to purchase the unused food.    

Food Waste Prevention Week is recognized across the country from April 7-13 this year with the purpose of educating the public about the human and environmental impacts of household food waste. Each year up to 40%of the nation’s food supply is never consumed – an annual loss of $218 billion.  

Food is the number one item thrown away by Americans — and South Carolinians — each year.  Don’t Waste Food SC is a statewide to initiative to help reduce food waste at home. 

“Wasted food squanders the land, water, energy, labor and other resources that were used to produce, package and move the food from farms and factories to people’s kitchens,” said Savannah Murray, program coordinator for Don’t Waste Food SC. “We encourage South Carolinians to begin taking small steps to prevent food waste and help put unneeded, nonperishable food items into the hands of nearby families who may be experiencing food insecurity.”  

Steps to reduce food waste include:    

• Plan your meals and shop smart. Use what you have at home first. Make a list of what you need and stick to it.  
• Prep smart and store smart. Prepare perishable food soon after shopping so it doesn’t have time to spoil. Consider meal prepping. Freeze items. Remember FIFO: first in, first out. Be mindful of storage specifics, especially for produce.   
• Learn about date labels. Food doesn’t magically spoil on label dates. 
• Love your leftovers. If dining out, take your leftovers home. Be creative to make new meals from extras.  
• Donate non-perishable items. One in 8 South Carolinians faces hunger, according to Feeding America. Find a food bank location near you.  

Don’t Waste Food SC launched in 2016 as an outreach campaign that brings together ambassadors from the public and private sectors to work together to reduce food waste in South Carolina. The outreach campaign aims to: 

• Increase the awareness of the economic, environmental, and social impacts of wasted food 
• Encourage South Carolinians to recover unwanted food through composting and other practices 
• Cut South Carolina’s wasted food in half by 2030. 

To learn more about Food Waste Prevention Week, visit foodwastepreventionweek.com. To learn more about Don’t Waste Food SC, visit des.sc.gov/dwfsc. Follow Don’t Waste Food SC’s handle “@dontwastefoodsc” on Instagram and Facebook for additional information and resources.    

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