Every year, the United States wastes around 60 million tons of food—enough to fill several landfills and is the equivalent to nearly 325 pounds per person annually. That’s roughly 1 pound of perfectly good food thrown away every day for every American, while millions face food insecurity. Much of this waste happens at home, in stores, and in restaurants—simple scraps, over-prepped meals, and forgotten perishables that could nourish families instead.

(Imagine a standard dinner plate divided into colorful sections—all perfectly edible but tossed out daily)

• Red (veggies/fruits – 4 oz): A generous handful of tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, or apples that went soft in the fridge.
• Orange (carrots/sweet potatoes – 3 oz): A few carrots or a small sweet potato that got forgotten at the back.
• Yellow (corn/cheese/bananas – 3 oz): Leftover corn on the cob, cheese scraps, or overripe bananas.
• Green (greens/broccoli – 4 oz): Salad greens, spinach, or broccoli that wilted before use.
• White/Brown (grains/protein – 5 oz): Half a loaf of bread, leftover rice/pasta, or potatoes that sprouted.

Total: 16 oz (1 pound) — that’s a full, nutritious, balanced plate of food wasted every single day. Enough for a complete meal, yet it ends up in the trash while many go hungry.

This isn’t a lecture, simply awareness. The potential impact is powerful: of the roughly 25 million people currently receiving food assistance in the US, over 12 million could overcome food insecurity if they embrace a scratch kitchen cooking ethos and we collectively reduced waste and stretched resources through simple, from-scratch cooking.

Add to the normal food waste the amount of by-products from prep that could be used in cooking without a lot of extra effort. Veggie scraps make stocks, soups, and more—a chef’s go-to for getting the last use out of bits and pieces.

Most people today shy away from the stove, intimidated by the myth that cooking from scratch means hours of complicated techniques and endless ingredients. The reality? We’ve been sold a convenient but costly lie: pre-packaged foods are “easy” and “fast,” so we rely on them—often wasting money, nutrition, and the joy of real meals.

The Scratch Kitchen™ changes that. Our Rules of Three (RO3) approach proves scratch cooking is simple, fast, and fun: a core staple ingredient + three flavorful ingredients from our $50 shelf-stable pantry and perishables and a simple cooking style—ready in under 20 minutes. No fancy gear, no overwhelm—just good enough recipes that empower you to cook confidently, reduce waste, and nourish your family. We’re here to make from-scratch accessible again, building healthier communities one meal at a time.

And the best part? All this is fundamental cooking. The fancy things people do want comes later naturally. We teach people how to grow into cooking.