The Whole Foods Hack That's Perfect For Avoiding Food Waste

If shopping and eating more organic and natural-based foods is something you practice in your life, then you probably do some or all of your grocery shopping at Whole Foods. Deemed "America's Healthiest Grocery Store," Whole Foods has placed itself at the forefront of food enthusiasts' minds with its wide selection of upscale organic food options. Of course, if you want to eat organic, your wallet is going to have to equally payout. According to Investopedia, Whole Foods customers actually spend up to 20% more on groceries than at any other supermarket chain.

With a high-priced receipt for a week's worth of groceries, you probably want to make sure nothing goes to waste. How many times have you gone to the grocery store and stockpiled your fridge and cabinets only to be too busy or too tired to make anything? Especially with perishable food items like meat and cheeses, food waste is common and can make you go back to the grocery store more often, as well as the bank. According to the USDA, food waste averages up to 40% of the food supply in the United States.

If you shop at Whole Foods, we know a great hack that can help you avoid wasting more food.

We've all been there. Finding the perfect loaf of bread or flavor of cheese and thinking, "if only it was smaller, I could never use up that amount of food." While you would think that what you see is what you have to buy, Whole Foods encourages you to think again. The grocery store actually allows its customers to portion out certain items for only what they need, so if you're one of the 12 types of shoppers that love Whole Foods, this tip is for you.

According to Delish, you can go up to any employee and ask for a half portion of most packaged produce items, cheeses, and breads. "If you need only half a melon, fish fillet, wedge of cheese, or loaf of fresh bread, we're happy to provide just the half you need," Whole Foods claims on its website. With this superior customer service offering, customers can not only save on their fridge space of what they truly need, but they can save their money by paying for smaller portions while avoiding throwing away excess food they can't use. Additionally, this is a great method to try smaller portions of new items at the deli, bakery, produce, or cheese sections before buying a full portion.