Roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption, about 1.3 billion tons, is lost or wasted each year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Consumers in developed countries are responsible for 222 million tons of waste, according to the organization.

“With nearly a billion people going hungry in the world, including 17.2 million households within the United States, reducing the amount of food being wasted is incredibly important. We need to start focusing on diverting food from going into our trash cans and landfills and instead getting it into the hands of those who need it most,” said Danielle Nierenberg, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project.

The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization that works on energy, resource and environmental issues.

Myra Hickman, Tuscumbia City Schools’ child nutrition program director, said she isn’t surprised by the statistics and believes conserving food, and establishing such patterns, begins in the home, Times Daily noted.

“With the holidays upon us, we tend to cook too much, but there are simple things a family can do to prevent waste,” she said.

Hickman suggests getting a head count before planning the meal.

“Pay attention to the yield in a recipe and make recipes that feed a large number only when you are preparing for a large group. It sounds simple, but so often families, especially those that don’t eat leftovers, throw away more food in the day or days after a meal than was consumed.”

Likewise, when there is a vast variety of food items, get only a small portion of the items you like most. The sight of several items on a plate sends a strong message. We eat foods during the holidays we don’t normally eat, so remember to be discriminating and stick with the traditional dishes in which you know the ingredients. Waste also is created when we try new recipes during the holidays that aren’t accepted and thus get thrown away, Hickman said.