That’s what I told myself as I threw out an entire frozen chicken, because even though it had only been in my freezer for a week, you never can tell with poultry. I should have stuck with the prepackaged movie-dinners, but it was deal that I just couldn’t pass up. So now, it’s in my garbage.

I don’t really consider myself a food waster because the only food I throw away is absolutely inedible. Which is most of the food I buy, incidentally. Or order at restaurants. I refuse to but food in my mouth that is imperfect – a bruised apple, left-overs, discolored peppers, you name, I toss it. I spend hours at the grocery store carefully examining my produce before I buy it, only to get home and find a blemish. Into the garbage it goes.

I refuse to be a victim of foodborne illness. You can label me a food-waster if you want, but when that  E. Coli outbreak sweeps the nation, I won’t be the one hugging the toilet seat.