'Try to curb food waste by making more use of your freezer' is the message being conveyed during Food Safety Week this week.
Bradford Council is supporting Food Safety Week from 4 - 10 July which is led by the Food Standards Agency.
According to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, wasted food costs each household £470 each annually.
Bradford's Environmental Health officers will be visiting venues across the District including, cafes, luncheon clubs and community centres to highlight the key messages of the campaign.
The key messages are:
- Know the difference between 'use by' and 'best before' dates. Most foods can be frozen up until the 'use by' date, but not after. 'Best before' dates are about quality rather than safety, so when the date has passed, it may lose its flavour and texture, but can still be edible.
- Food can look and smell fine even after its use-by-date, but that doesn't mean it is safe to eat.
- It is recommended that frozen food is consumed within three to six months, but can be kept for longer. It is best to defrost food as required and eaten within 24 hours.
- It is preferable to freeze food on the day of purchase, but food can be safely frozen at any time up until the 'use by' date.
- Cooked meat can be frozen for use on another day.
- Multi buys are a good purchase as large packets of meat can be separated and frozen individually in smaller bags, or some can be consumed straight away and other pieces frozen.
- New meals can be cooked from leftovers and home-made foods frozen.
- Food should be placed in an airtight container or wrapped well in foil or cling film before frozen.
- People should get in the habit of checking what they already have in the fridge and freezer before going shopping.
Coun Val Slater, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for food safety, said: "With so much food being thrown away in the UK each year, we want Bradford residents to think about how they can use their freezers to their full potential, rather than putting food in the bin."
Kevin Hargin, Head of Foodborne Disease Control at the Food Standards Agency, said: "Every year we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink from our homes.
"Much of this waste is unnecessary, and a better understanding of how to freeze food could help tackle the problem."
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