How often do you have to throw away food because it has gone past its best?

To coincide with World Health Day today (7 April) a new application informing users on how to store food and beverages to maximise their freshness and quality has been launched.

Developed by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute, the app helps users understand food storage and empowers consumers to choose storage methods that extend the shelf life of their items.

Users will be able to keep items fresh longer than if they were not stored properly.

The FoodKeeper application offers users valuable storage advice about more than 400 food and beverage items, including various types of baby food, dairy products and eggs, meat, poultry, produce, seafood, and more.

Every year, billions of pounds of food go to waste in the US because consumers are not sure of its quality or safety.

USDA estimates that 21 per cent of the available food in the US goes uneaten at the consumer level.

USDA also estimates that at the retail and consumer level, 36 pounds of food per person is wasted each month.

"This application will help reduce food waste by showing users how to store foods properly, and reminding them to use items before they are likely to spoil," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

"This can help consumers save money and reduce the amount of safe food going to landfills."

The application features include the following:

• Specific product pages for more than 400 items. These offer users storage timelines for the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.
• Cooking tips for meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. Cooking advice is offered to ensure users prepare these products in ways that eliminate foodborne bacteria.
• Calendar integration, which allows users to enter the purchase date for products and offers notifications when products are nearing the end of their recommended storage date.
• Users can search the application with swipe gestures or voice control.
• If a user has not found the information they are looking for about a product, they can submit a question to USDA using the 'Ask Karen' feature of the application. 'Ask Karen' is USDA's 24/7 virtual representative. The system provides information about preventing foodborne illness and safe food handling, storage, and preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products.
• The application is available for Android and Apple devices.

The application is part of a larger effort between USDA and the US Environmental Protection Agency called the US Food Waste Challenge.

Launched in 2013, the Food Waste Challenge calls on participants across the food chain – farms, agricultural processors, food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, universities, schools, and local governments – to join efforts to:

• Reduce food waste by improving product development, storage, shopping/ordering, marketing, labeling, and cooking methods;
• Recover food waste by connecting potential food donors to hunger relief organizations like food banks and pantries; and,
• Recycle food waste to feed animals or to create compost, bioenergy, and natural fertilisers.