Do you want to stop wasting food?

Let’s stop wasting food

In 2016 this is money published an article telling us all how long it would take to get to billionaire status and be as wealthy as the wealthiest person in Britain, the answer a measly 350,000 years. I mean we could all do that right?

I know what you’re wondering, why am I telling you this? This is important to give you an equivalent of how many years it would take the average person to reach 10 billion pounds, something I can only imagine takes longer now considering the cost of living. Would you believe me if I told you that Britain wasted £4.3 billion every year?

£4.3 billion is wasted on uneaten food.

Food waste is crippling our bank accounts and every year we waste 4.3 billion in uneaten food.

The reason, poorly stored food 31% of us admit that this is one of the issues, which can lead to buying too much food which 33% of us do.

This number reminded me of a quote from Dana Gunders, Food and Agriculture Scientist with the Natural Defense Council, where they stated

 “Imagine walking out of a grocery store with four bags of groceries, dropping one in the parking lot, and just not bothering to pick it up. That’s essentially what we’re doing.”

Now I am aware that none of us would ever leave a grocery bag full of items in a car park, but the sentiment remains the same, if we keep wasting food, we will continue to waste resources, money and harm our planet. We wouldn’t leave it in the car park, so why do we keep leaving it in our appliances.

Why are we consistently wasting our food?

Nearly half of Brits (47%) aren’t aware that maintaining the right humidity for storing fruit and veg can help them last up to four weeks longer! This is over a month longer than we would usually have the produce if we had the knowledge to keep our produce at the optimal temperature in order to utilize it beyond the sell-by date. A lot of us believe that the ‘use by’ dates cloud our judgement when it comes to food and 57% of Brits think that this date should be removed from produce. A sentiment I can get behind because with Liebherr technology I know that my produce can last a lot longer than what my supermarket believes.

Discover Liebherr’s technolgy

Liebherr put their own technology to the test and found that the following produce lasted longer when stored in a BioFresh drawer

*Note: All information is for guidance only and depends in each case on the type as well as correct storage without interruptions to the cooling chain from harvest/manufacturer to the Liebherr cooling appliances. If groceries are labelled with an expiry date, the date on the packaging always takes priority.

Now we know there is technology that can help stop food waste, but what can be done to make 2023 a more sustainable year?

Tips on keeping your food fresher for longer

“Having a well organised refrigeration space is key, even more so during big gatherings when fridges are likely full to capacity and storing fresh food for longer periods. We recommend:

• Tidy your fridge before putting in your food shop. Remove every item to check what food is already approaching its expiration, what has passed its best and what should go back in. To avoid waste, remember that an expired best-before date does not necessarily mean that the product still can’t be eaten. Always double check.
• Map out zones in your fridge; store your fruit and vegetables in the cooler compartments and utilise the bottom shelves for any meat or fish.
• Forget the smell test. Liebherr’s BioFresh technology stores food at just above 0°C with an ideal humidity to ensure it stays fresher for longer.
• Storage is vital. Ensure food stays organised with containers, jars and other storage features, so that no food gets lost in the fridge. Liebherr’s VarioSafes provides clarity and creates order for smaller food items, tubes and jars.
• The freezer can often become a chaotic area. Arranging the freezer compartments by food groups, as well as using containers and freezer bags will maximise the use of the freezer.”

Written by Naomi and Hillgate

References 

Research commissioned by 72point / OnePoll on behalf of Liebherr (November and August 2022) to 2,000 UK adults.

£4.3 billion reference: Number calculated by UK household population (24,782,800 – GOV) x average annual waste cost (£173) = 4287424400