Ever wonder if you should bring that half-eaten cake to the office? If you care about the planet, bring it on – or in.

If you’ve ever hestitated before bringing food into the office, rest assurred it’s a good thing. While the extra calories may seem like a disadvantage, bringing food to work that might otherwise be diverted to compost or the landfill is a terrific way to combat the 52.4 million tons of food being sent to landfill every year.

So, feel good knowing that bringing food to the office – the half-eaten cake or the apples that will go to waste when you go on vacation – is an important source of food waste reduction. In fact, it qualifies as one of the most preferred ways to reduce the volume of surplus food generated, aka. source reduction, according to the EPA Food Recovery Heirarchy.

Office food also provides an opportunity for colleagues to proverbially break bread. This ancient ritual is well known to break down barriers and builds connections among people and research suggests it’s more important than ever to eat with your co-workers. Or, as Michael Pollan said, sharing food can provide “a study bridge” among people who otherwise have diferring cultures and experiences.