This weekend’s Wall Street Journal featured an article about a recent USDA report on food waste. While we can’t connect the article we can connect the report.

More important, though, is the connection between personal chefs and the reduction of food waste. Consumer spending on food is huge. According to the report, in the United States alone, 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of the 430 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in 2010 went uneaten. The estimated value of this food loss was $161.6 billion using retail prices.

Grocery stores depend on the distraction of consumers when they shop. How often do your clients visit the grocery store to find one or two items and discover the items they are looking for have been shifted to another aisle. Of course, as they go searching for what they went to the store to buy to begin with it triggers the impulse buys as they pass other items on the aisle. How frustrating weeks later when they have to clean out the refrigerator and realize they never should have made the extra purchases to begin with. They didn’t need them and they didn’t want them.

Personal chefs have a great opportunity to impact both consumer dining and shopping behaviors. Healthy eating, including portion control, are among the hallmarks of the value of the personal chef experience. Saving the time shopping includes reducing the urge to impulse buy foods that may eventually be discarded.

Members of USPCA subscribe to a code of ethics that creates confidence among consumers that personal chefs can be trusted to provide not just healthy and nutritious meals, but also the kind of advice that changes behaviors and ultimately changes lives.

Changes start with one action at a time, Help your clients and potential clients understand not only how you can provide them with great food but can, ultimately, save them money and help them save the planet!