How not to waste food when storing it in the pantry

After the refrigerator, one of the hottest spots for food waste in the home is the pantry, especially if it's not in the apartment but in the basement. If we throw things into the pantry haphazardly, without paying much attention to expiration dates, we're likely to forget them, and by the time we remember, it's too late: we're forced to throw them away, and we've wasted them.

A method is needed, both in the arrangement and in the selection of foods.

• Place the products to be consumed first in front
  Use the "first in, first out" principle: what expires first goes first, new purchases last. This is also a way to remember to consume a specific food before it's too late. However, remember that the pantry isn't a cellar where wine is stored to age: here, food needs to circulate frequently, not remain bottled up among what we mechanically place on the shelves. 
• Check the periodically dispensation
  Once a week, do a quick check of:
  • deadlines approaching
  • opened packages
  • forgotten duplicates
  This method also helps you prepare a proper shopping list and avoid buying unnecessary food that you already have and still need to consume. 
• Store food the right way
  Pasta, rice, flour, legumes, and biscuits last best in airtight containers, away from moisture and heat.
• Separate food from the rest

If you store other items in your pantry besides food (detergents, toolbox, paper and cardboard, etc.), never confuse the two spaces. Even just slipping a can of tuna or a jar of peeled tomatoes into a pile of household cleaning products is a surefire way to forget them. 

• Label what you open
  Writing the opening date on preserves, flours, or snacks helps you understand what to use first.
• Plan meals based on what you have
  Before shopping, check your pantry and build a few meals around ingredients you already have that are close to expiring.
• Avoid “just in case” purchases
  Big offers are only worthwhile if you know you'll actually consume everything.
• Transform the leftovers
  Dry bread, legumes, sauces and vegetables can become:
  • soups
  • Meatballs
  • omelettes
  • toast
  • sauces or bases for other dishes

When you are sure that a food stored in or near the pantry will not be cooked anytime soon, it is always best to freeze it, if possible, to avoid wasting it.

But which foods are most often "forgotten" in the pantry? Here's the ranking:

• spices,
• all-purpose flour
• nuts
• open snacks
• preserves started
• dried vegetables

To organize the food arrangement in the pantry, you can plan five areas:

1. Breakfast and snacks
   biscuits, cereals, tea, coffee
2. Cooking base
   pasta, rice, flour, legumes
3. Preserves and jars
   tuna, tomatoes, pesto, corn
4. Spices and condiments
   salt, oil, vinegar, spices
5. “To be consumed soon”
   the most important and easily accessible and visible area: open or close products deadline

Finally, avoid the "back of the shelf" effect: foods that end up at the back are often thrown away, so don't pile them too high, use low baskets, and make sure everything is visible. 

Read also:

• What to do to avoid wasting food
• "Cook It": The app that reads the food in your fridge and warns you if you're at risk of wasting it.
• Foodbusters: Volunteers who recover wasted food at events