Tips on how to keep food fresher for longer
COUNCIL chiefs are hoping to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by educating residents about how they can keep food fresher for longer.
Research by WRAP and Love Food Hate Waste found that most fresh fruit and veg will last up to two weeks longer if kept in the fridge in their original pack.
Bananas ripen more slowly if packed in special bags and cucumbers last around five times longer if they’re shrink-wrapped.
The food and packaging industry have developed some great new innovations to help keep food fresher for longer, which means there is more time to eat the food while it’s still at its best.
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Examples include extra-filtered fresh milk, vacuum packed fresh meat, intelligent packs for fresh fruit and vegetables which helps stop them over-ripening.
Councillor John Allsop, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for recycling and technology, said: “Many of us take our fruit and veg out of its pack as soon as we get it home, by habit.
“However modern packaging means that keeping it as you buy it in the shop will often keep it fresher for longer.
“A lot of food is wasted because it just doesn’t get used in time, so it’s important to be aware of ways of keeping things for longer.
“Advice such as this can really help cut down on the amount of food wasted across Derbyshire because much of it ends up in landfill which is bad for the environment.”
Given that 26 per cent of all the food and drink we throw away in the UK is fresh fruit and veg, keeping it in peak condition means we don’t end up throwing it away so saving money.
The average household can save £480 a year, rising to around £50 a month for a family with children, simply by making the most of the food we buy.
For lots more ideas and money saving tips to make the most of your food visit lovefoodhatewaste.com or derbyshire.gov.uk/lovefoodhatewaste
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