Experts providing tips to reduce food waste on Delmarva

SALISBURY, Md. – Wednesday is Stop Food Waste Day.

“If you got too much what are you gonna do? Why throw it away when somebody else can use it,” said Farmer Virgil Shockley.

Farmer Virgil Shockley is talking about food waste, it’s an issue that the Food Bank of Delaware says is nothing new for the area. “Last year at the Food Bank of Delaware we rescued 2.4 million pounds of food from local retailers. We know that there is probably more food that is wasted, food waste is a huge problem throughout the country,” said Kim Turner with the Food Bank of Delaware.

Wasted food usually includes dairy products and baked goods. Through the food bank’s waste rescue initiative, customers can use an app to find out which local restaurants are planning to discard food which they can then go pick up for themselves. “We are then able to offer a more nutritious variety of food versus just offering canned goods,” said Turner.

If you can’t make it to the food bank, Shockley says you could always grow it yourself. “You can’t get anything more fresh than literally picking it off the vine, taking it in the house whether it’s cucumber, cantaloupe, watermelon, it doesn’t matter strawberries, string beans, cooking it and cooking it because when you buy it in a can, it’s processed,” said Shockley.

Shockley says having a green thumb not only reduces food waste but also benefits the greater good. “It’s a community thing because basically everything mother nature provides. If you do it correctly it will for the most part grow you a good crop. What you do is a personal decision after that so you pass it around,” said Shockley.

The Food Bank of Delaware is also accepting donations and help from volunteers. For more information visit the food bank’s website.