People in Iowa Waste More Restaurant Meals Than Almost Any Other State

Sounds to me like more Iowans need to take advantage of carryout containers!

I absolutely HATE wasting food. Nothing makes me feel worse than when I have to dump a bunch of groceries in the trash because I didn't get a chance to eat them before they went bad. Apparently, I'm not alone. According to a survey, 77% of us feel guilty when we waste food. The average person actually wastes about $265 worth of food each year. When you break it down, women are worse than men, wasting an average of $280 a year compared to $250.

Hloom looked at 2,000 households to determine which states waste more food than others. When it comes to wasting groceries, Iowa did not make the top 10. Here are the top three states, along with the percentage of groceries they throw away:

1. Mississippi - 14%
2. Nebraska - 12.18%
3. Alabama - 12.15%

On the other hand, when it comes to wasting restaurant meals, Iowa DID make the top ten. We actually came in at number six, wasting 9.37% of our restaurant meals. The top three are:

1. Mississippi - 11.6%
2. Delaware - 10.7%
3. New Mexico - 10.67%

When it comes to groceries, I would definitely say I'm wasteful, but it's because I buy and cook for just one person... myself. I am constantly buying food that comes in bigger packages than I need, because I don't have any other option. I try to freeze what I can, but not everything can be frozen. It's a struggle, but I'm trying to do better because I hate throwing all my money in the trash. With restaurant food, though, I almost ALWAYS get a carryout container, even if I'm questioning if it will taste good reheated. The majority of the time, the answer is yes. So at least I'm doing my part there.

How wasteful are you when it comes to food? Are you worse with your groceries or with your restaurant meals? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via Huffington Post/Hloom]