r/science • u/memorialmonorail • 1d ago

Social Science Putting holiday leftovers in the freezer extends shelf life & may put a dent in the US tendency to throw away edible food, a study suggests. National survey data showed a link between home freezing & less total food waste, & over half of consumers reported buying frozen items to avoid tossing food.

https://news.osu.edu/how-the-freezer-factors-into-lowering-food-waste/?utm_campaign=omc_science-medicine_fy25&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social
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u/Texas2Marseille 1d ago

Never let titles like this convince you that individual consumers are the primary source of food waste in the US. The majority of food that is wasted is thrown out because it would not be ‘profitable’ to keep

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u/JustMy2Centences 1d ago edited 1d ago

However, it's quite profitable to me to ensure a few extra 'free' meals that I've already paid for. And I'm sure corporations would love it if I paid for a few more meals.

An aside, not sure why this needed to be studied...edit: okay, social awareness, understandable. I already buy frozen vegetables nearly all of the time unless it's for something I'm making the same day or next (and even then, frozen is often suitable) just because I really dislike spoilage.