COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — According to the US Department of Agriculture, 30-40% of the nation's food supply goes to waste. In southern Colorado, Bella's Bagels is trying to reduce that number.
"We're pretty good with our numbers, but every now and then, there's something in the air," said Bella's Co-Owner Jason Stele. "Maybe we have an extra 100 bagels, or 200 bagels even."
To reduce food waste, Stele said Bella's started by donating its day-old bagels to local farms. However, that process quickly evolved, and now those bagels go to people at a reduced price.
"It hurts my soul to ever have to throw out stuff," Stele said. "We can still sell a dozen bagels at a fraction of the cost."
Stele said bagels that are not sold the day of get bagged to keep them fresh, and through a Colorado-based app called Goodie Bag, anyone can pick up the older bagels on a first-come, first-served basis.
Goodie Bag's Co-Founder Eddy Connors said the idea came from him and his former CU Boulder roommate. He said they both realized how prevalent food waste is in the United States and wanted to be part of the change.
"It's individuals like you and I that are responsible for the most amount of food waste in America," Connors said.
Both Stele and Connors said when it comes to reducing your own food waste, be intentional about what you buy and what you sell.
"The chefs themselves will know best how they can creatively put to work their leftovers," Connors said.
If you're a small business, Stele said, pay close attention to how many items you expect to sell in a day, especially if you are making fresh food.
"If you're not looking at the numbers, and you're just running the business with your belly, you don't have data, it's just an opinion," Stele said.
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