Thesis Statement
The Food dating system and guidelines are contributing to the waste of household food all over America – and taking a toll on the planet through climate change. Expiration dates in America were made to certify peak quality and not necessarily food safety. My goal is to inform as many people about food waste at home, and the signs to look for when food is going bad instead of reading the expiration date on the package.
Background
Consumers are the leading cause of food waste in America. Shocking right? But wasted food isn't just a social or humanitarian concern—it's an environmental one. Here is some food for thought: When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. About 11% of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
Research map diving into all the aspects of food waste.
While thinking this issue through, I knew I had to try and change the way we as consumers think while reading expiration labels and sell by dates. During my research, I discovered that most food is still edible way past the date label, and a lot of it can be stored in certain ways to prolong the shelf life. I asked myself, how can this issue be handled through graphic design? I started to sketch and found myself drawing posters for the inside of cabinets and cupboards that a user could reference for expiry information. This first hand idea ended up sticking with me the whole way through this project. I stumbled upon a website called eatbydate.com that gives very detailed information on expiration dates and how long a lot of our food can last. This is where the majority of my information for my posters came from.
From left to right - very first pencil sketches to early digital poster layout ideas
Expiry Date Posters
Each poster is specific to a type of food, and is further split into sections that are perforated for easy so a consumer could just tear off a section and place it wherever they wanted to, so it could fit to their needs and any surface in their kitchen. A big part of the user experience when reading these posters was figuring out how to note where the food is stored, and if it is opened or not. The expiration can change drastically depending on these factors. To solve this, I created an icon system that would simplify the amount of text on the poster and make it easier on the user.
Above: Posters to reference for more accurate expiration dates of foods
Below: How they can be used in the kitchen
But I couldn’t be finished there, the next step was trying to design something small and handheld to offset those posters that gave information on how to store food. I was inspired by the size and shape of a standard deck of cards and ran with that idea. One thing that I didn’t want was the user to lose cards since they are smaller, so I decided to have them all on one key ring for easy flipping through. I carried the food graphics I designed from the posters into these as well.
Food Storage Cards
Every card references a type of food and details the best way to store it for optimal freshness and shelf life - down to which humidity drawer is prime. They are in alphabetical order for easy finding of the one you're looking for.
Above: Food Storage Cards - front shows information on how to store a specific food for optimal freshness and the longest shelf life. The back shows a graphic representation of that food.
Below: How the cards can be hung in the kitchen on the keychain, and a closeup of a few of my personal favorites.
The last part of my package is the sticker sheets. I asked myself the questions - how could I make something that reminded people of food in their fridge or cabinet that was going to have to get thrown out soon? As well as – how could I remind them that some food doesn’t even have an expiry date? I landed on stickers that would be re-usable so they didn’t contribute to the idea of waste.
Stickers
I designed two types of stickers - red ones are for food that’s expiring soon and the green ones are for food that has no expiry date. The colors came from the way we read traffic lights where red stops you in your tracks and screams halt, while green is a go pass.
Above: Stickers shown with applications on food products
To wrap all these products together I designed a package that would hold each item. As for the front of the package design, I wanted to create a catchphrase that would grab your attention and hint at what was inside, The title I landed on was “Taste not Waste” to encourage everyone to spend more time literally tasting their food instead of wasting it. I incorporated references of barcodes into the title as well as treated the type like code as you might read a confusing expiration date label.
From left to right - considered covers to the final chosen one.
Package Design
This package opens up like a book to a quick brief on the inside about the issue of food waste in America and why we should be taking it more seriously. Once opened, there is a sheet that lays on top of the products that details how to use each of them.
Above: Overview of entire package and everything included. 6 posters, 6 sticker sheets, 29 food storage cards on a key ring, and a how-to guide.
Conclusion
At the end of this project journey, I did not realize how research heavy this would be in the beginning, but it's completely necessary to the design and user experience of the products. The posters took the longest to design by far, from the typesetting to the icon system, there was a lot incorporated in that process. I throughly enjoyed making all of the food illustrations, and making them fit into a similar style and system. I've started using more of the food storage tips as well, and it's safe to say they definitely do make a difference!
Project Inspiration
Top row (from left to right):
Cover inspiration https://theflexitarian.co.uk/,
Food storage card inspiration https://www.underconsideration.com/artofthemenu/archives/minor_swing.php
Cover inspiration https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347903139941499204/
Package Design Idea https://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2019/06/the-genuine-gin-book.html
Middle row (from left to right):
Coded Cover idea: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/18718154683875751/
Overlapping shapes, blending modes idea: https://www.behance.net/gallery/92822927/For-the-Harvard-Business-Review
Bottom row (from left to right):
Continuous shapes through sections inspiration https://www.pentagram.com/work/toronto-tomorrow?rel=sector&rel-id=13
Geometric food illustration inspiration https://www.etsy.com/listing/269923028/fruit-and-vegetables-print-fruit-print?ref=cat_gallery_34&ga_ref=similar_listings_row&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&epik=dj0yJnU9MnVDNTk5dmY2RlpJQmNxTWlTS28xWnY0U3FLaDhpbjEmcD0wJm49TVA2R2thM1lwWF9FLWZWSFUta0lDdyZ0PUFBQUFBR0NKZmZB
References
Food waste: How much food do supermarkets throw away? (CBC Marketplace). (2016, October 28). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqkV8cP4xs
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (FULL MOVIE). (2020, October 8). [Video]. YouTube.
Tossed Out: Food Waste in America. (2014, September 26). [Video]. YouTube.
How To Make Produce Last Longer & Reduce Waste 25+ Tips! (2019, April 15). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4doYb2d2sTg
Why Do We Waste Perfectly Good Food In The U.S.? | AJ+. (2018, August 28). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbOpCRyKvQ
Hines, M. (2019, August 14). Will this make me sick? The date stamps on food items, explained. Retrieved January 21, 2021
Taylor, D. (2019, June 17). This man ate ‘expired’ food for a year. Here’s why expiration dates are practically meaningless. – The Washington Post. The Washington Post; The Washington Post.
Food Product Dating. (2019, October 2). Fsis.Usda.Gov.
The Problem | EXPIRED? Food Waste in America. (n.d.). The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic. Retrieved January 21, 2021
McGinty, J. C. (2019, August 30). Easy Fix to Cut Food Waste: Cleaning Up Date Labels. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/easy-fix-to-cut-food-waste-cleaning-up-date-labels-11567157400
Nash, S. (2019, March 7). My Year of Eating “Expired” Food. Scott’s Compost Pile.
Articles. (2015). Save The Food.
How Long Do Other Foods Last? Shelf life Expiration Date. (2012). Eat By Date.
