Book
Gunders D. Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food. San Francisco: Chronicle Books; 2015. 200 p.
Why we cite it
Practical consumer handbook translating the policy-level food waste research from Gunders’ NRDC work into actionable kitchen strategies. Organised in three parts: (1) everyday strategies for meal planning, shopping, storage, and food safety; (2) preservation methods from freezing to pickling to composting; (3) twenty use-it-up recipes and a comprehensive food storage directory by category. Not scientific research — a practical guide. The key message is deceptively simple: the biggest way to avoid throwing food away is to only buy what you’re going to eat. Referenced in companion 413 (the-produce-drawer) as a practical resource for addressing produce waste.
About the author
Dana Gunders is President and Executive Director of ReFED, a national nonprofit working to reduce food waste — co-founded the organisation and became Executive Director in 2020. BS and MS from Stanford University (Earth Systems; Sustainable Business Practices). Formerly Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for nearly a decade. Author of the landmark NRDC report Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill (2012), which established the widely cited statistic that 40% of US food is thrown away — equivalent to $165 billion annually and climate pollution equal to 37 million cars per year. Launched the Save the Food campaign (over $70 million in donated media). Heinz Award for the Environment (2025, $250,000). Featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, PBS NewsHour, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Congressional testimony before the House Agriculture Committee. Described by Consumer Reports as “the woman who helped start the waste-free movement.”
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