ShareReducing food waste through improved use of home freezers
UK consumers currently throw away at least 800 000 tonnes (worth GBP 2 billion) of food each year, due to it ‘not being used in time’, much of which could have been frozen to eat at a later date. Reasons why foods are thrown away rather than frozen include uncertainty about whether a product is suitable for freezing and how best to freeze it to maximize its quality.
UK consumers currently throw away at least 800 000 tonnes (worth GBP 2 billion) of food each year, due to it ‘not being used in time’, much of which could have been frozen to eat at a later date. Reasons why foods are thrown away rather than frozen include uncertainty about whether a product is suitable for freezing and how best to freeze it to maximize its quality.
RD&T and East Malling Research recently performed a literature review for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), aimed at confirming suitability for freezing of a range of perishable foods and identifying best practice for domestic freezing.
The majority of products considered were reported to be suitable for home freezing, with only soft cheeses (cottage, Philadelphia, brie etc.) being identified as generally unsuitable for freezing. Conflicting advice was identified for cream and cream-based sauces.
The report is available at www.wrap.org.uk/content/review-literature-about-freezing-food-home.
WRAP will use the information collected through this research to inform discussions with the food industry on how current on-pack freezing guidance can be improved to give consumers the confidence to freeze foods they may not have time to eat whilst fresh, and thereby reduce food and drink waste.
RD&T and East Malling Research recently performed a literature review for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), aimed at confirming suitability for freezing of a range of perishable foods and identifying best practice for domestic freezing.
The majority of products considered were reported to be suitable for home freezing, with only soft cheeses (cottage, Philadelphia, brie etc.) being identified as generally unsuitable for freezing. Conflicting advice was identified for cream and cream-based sauces.
The report is available at www.wrap.org.uk/content/review-literature-about-freezing-food-home.
WRAP will use the information collected through this research to inform discussions with the food industry on how current on-pack freezing guidance can be improved to give consumers the confidence to freeze foods they may not have time to eat whilst fresh, and thereby reduce food and drink waste.