(HealthDayNews) -- The next time you're emptying leftovers from your refrigerator, consider this:
According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the average American family throws away about three pounds of food a week. But almost one-third of the food that's discarded really isn't safe to eat.
The main reason for throwing away fruits and vegetables is that they look bruised or wilted. Meats and fish are normally tossed out if they've been stored too long.
Younger people, ages 16 to 25, are more likely to throw away food if it doesn't look good. People over age 65 rely on personal experience -- they are more likely to throw something out if, in the past, they'd eaten something that had been stored too long and it made them sick.
