When the clock struck midnight on 2018, many people were still blissfully partying with family and friends.

But in coming days, if they haven’t done it already, people might start thinking about all the champagne and cake they consumed during the holiday season – and begin considering cutting calories for the new year.

In 2019, people could accomplish this through a different mindset: waste less food.

About one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption is lost or wasted. This happens along the supply chain, but the largest share of the total food waste happens in the household, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

This is generally because of inadequate storage techniques, confusing expiration dates or inefficient grocery shopping, such as buying spinach in an amount that couldn’t be reasonably eaten before spoiling.

“Food waste is an issue 365 days a year,” said Sean Southard, communications director at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. “We encourage all Kentuckians to take common-sense action to keep food waste to a minimum at home, at work, in restaurants and at the grocery. Everyone can work to reduce waste.”

To grow food, farmers use water, soil, energy and other natural resources, like trees. Agriculture is the largest driver of tropical deforestation – with beef, soy, palm oil and wood products accounting for the majority of downed trees, according to the science advocacy nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists.

Agriculture also accounts for about 70 percent of fresh water used by people. Beef, for example, requires about 1,850 gallons of water per pound produced. Vegetables generally require the least amount of water. Broccoli only requires 34 gallons of water per pound of greens, but that’s still the equivalent of two average American showers, according to the Water Footprint Network, a group of organizations concerned with global water use.

So when food is thrown away, land, water and energy is also thrown away.

“To reduce the carbon footprint is really important,” said Kristin Hildabrand, a horticulture extension agent at the Warren County Extension Office. “A lot of food gets wasted because of (people’s) fast-paced lifestyles.”

There are a few simple ways to break the habit of wasting food – and that’s by creating new habits.

First, reducing food waste should start in the grocery. Practice mindful grocery shopping by planning what your body needs and what you will eat. In turn, you can practice more mindful eating and save some dollars. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that Americans spend $1,500 to $2,000 a year on food they don’t eat.

The worst time for wasting food happens around the holidays, when households waste 25 percent more food than usual, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Pete Pearson, director of food waste at the World Wildlife Fund, said practicing mindfulness includes acknowledging the issues.

“Striving for a zero food waste (meal) is about celebrating the fact that food is one of our most precious gifts,” Pearson said via email. “Let us recognize all of the sacrifices that go into the production of food and give the ultimate thanks by not wasting it.”

Afterward, utilize your freezer. Whether you’ve cooked too much food or bought too many blueberries, freezers are your friend – and they’re not just for long-term needs. You can store leftovers in the freezer and enjoy them a few days later, and you can toss frozen vegetables into a chili pot, or frozen fruit into a smoothie.

Hildabrand recommends reorganizing your freezer to create space.

But realistically, some of your food might spoil, especially while rewiring your brain to learn a new habit – so Hildabrand recommends reusing and recycling the food through composting.

“Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of land use,” Hildabrand said, namely because it diverts food from the landfill.

In 2015, the EPA estimated that food contributed about 20 percent of total landfill weight, which is more than any other single material in our everyday trash. The EPA estimates that landfills create about 20 percent of U.S. methane emissions, which is a greenhouse gas considered about 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Composting provides other benefits, including improving your backyard’s soil. “Once they turn it, provide it with air flow and grass clippings from the yard, it will help make good material to amend their soils with,” Hildabrand said. “With growing any kind of food here in Kentucky, soil is very important.”

Kitchen compost bins might be the easiest option. The little box-like structures can be filled with eggshells, vegetable peels, coffee grounds and other organic materials. Hildabrand doesn’t recommend composting meat or bones – as the odiferous materials might attract wild animals to your backyard – but they could be composted.

To disrupt the supply chain completely, Hildabrand believes people should also consider growing some of their own food. The extension office can provide free soil testing kits – as different foods thrive in different soils – as well as information on starting home gardens or composting.

The sustainability of food has many layers, but inevitably improving one’s own health is intertwined with planetary health.

“A lot of people are interested in where their food comes from, and that can be a motivator,” Hildabrand said.

– Follow reporter Caroline Eggers on Twitter @eggersdailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.