Fresher for longer

Stopping slimy salads, shrivelled spuds and wrinkly wraps isn’t just about where it’s stored but also what you store it in. Putting potatoes somewhere cool and dark is great to reduce sprouting but if you put them in a potato bag they’ll keep better than just being left on the shelf.

Check out our storing superhero tips too.

Packaging

It’s not all evil – honest! Whilst you may wonder why a coconut needs a protective layer of plastic there are many advantages to some of the packaging out there.

Our first example is the cucumber, by the time it gets to your fridge it’s been picked for several days going from greenhouse to fridge at the supplier, then to refrigerated lorry to supermarket fridge. Now in your fridge it will keep longer than if you left it on the side but it will still shrivel quite quickly, but if the same cucumber is wrapped tightly in plastic after picking it’s far more likely to be edible for up to 14 days from picking. You could have it for an extra 2 weeks if you get it very fresh, giving you more time to eat it and to stop it feeding your bin.

There’s a lot of great information out there to bust some of the packaging myths. Check out the good, the bad and the spudly for great graphics and facts about packaging.

There are lots of ways packaging has changed recently to help avoid food waste too.

Have you noticed more re-sealable packaging? Many packets of cheese now have zips to seal it away from the air that turns it mouldy and dry. Wraps also have re-sealable packaging and more rice/pasta comes with sticky re-seal strips.

You can also buy split packs of sandwich meats and baguettes, so you still buy as many slices or loaves but don’t have to eat it as quickly. Unless you make sandwiches every day or have a lot to make every time it’s very easy to find ham that’s crusty in the corners because cold air from the fridge gets in to the packet but now you can have fewer slices in a pack so you don’t end up throwing the rest away or feeding it to the dog.

There’s also fridge packs, smaller packets and changes to labels to give more helpful information, Love Food Hate Waste have compiled a list of some of the new things they know about. Tell us about the great packaging your food is coming home in.

Vacuum packs and magic air. More meats are now vacuum packed in their polystyrene trays, this gives them a longer shelf life and it some bags of veg and salads the atmosphere in the bag has been modified to keep it fresher for longer.

There’s lots more happening too..