FSA advises consumers to freeze food to minimise waste over Christmas
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is recommending that consumers freeze food to reduce Christmas food waste.
In research conducted by the FSA, 68% of people admitted to throwing food away in the previous month. Over a third of respondents said this was because it was past its ‘use by' date. Over half said they felt guilty when throwing food away, but 30% revealed that they have thrown food away because they bought too much and didn't eat it.
The FSA believes this can be avoided by making better use of the freezer. It has released an ‘FSA Freezer Fairy' guide to provide tips and advice on freezing foods.
Dr Kevin Hargin at the FSA, said: "The freezer is like a pause button, so you can freeze foods right up to the ‘use by' date. While food is kept safe in the freezer, it's the quality that deteriorates over time, so we recommend eating it within three to six months and checking for any freezing instructions on the packaging. Once defrosted, the pause button is off, so defrost food as and when you need it and eat it within 24 hours of it being fully defrosted."
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