I received a press release this morning that astonished me – and with Food Waste Week looming (17-21 March) and waste collection services becoming ever more expensive, I thought I’d share the news. Apparently, Brits throw away a staggering 115 bananas a year, equating to 3.2 billion, based on 28.4 million UK households! While 32% of us plan to eat healthy fruit, veg and salads - 54% admit to throwing too much away… nine pieces week on average, amounting to £468 a year, according to new data by supermarket Aldi (and I daresay it's not just Brits who are guilty in this respect)! Tomatoes and potatoes are the next most frequently binned, at 2.8 billion each, (99 per household on average)  - as well as 2.6 billion carrots (94 per household). Almost a quarter (24%) say they only get through half a bag of salad before having to throw it away. 

  

Overall, 56% say they forget about the healthy food they've bought. I have to admit my guilt here, since as the farmers market’s only in town once a month and our normal market's only held twice weekly, I tend to over-buy. Fortunately, we have three large compost bins, so nothing really goes to waste. 

  

Interestingly, 57% admitted that they don't know exactly where and how to store food to keep it fresher for longer and while I wouldn’t have included myself in that group, I’ve learned a lot from food waste expert and author, Kate Hall, this morning… For example, I wouldn’t have been one of the 29% who know it's best to store tomatoes on the counter rather than the fridge! I knew my fridge shouldn't be warmer than 5°C, and that thin-skinned, high-moisture foods like salad leaves should be stored in high-humidity drawers, while thicker-skinned produce like apples should be stored in low-humidity drawers. I hadn’t realised though that potatoes last three times longer in the fridge, (but should be kept away from onions) and that bagged salad leaves last days longer if a moisture-absorbing sheet of kitchen paper’s placed into the container in which they’re stored. Bananas, apples and tomatoes emit high levels of ethylene gas as they ripen, which can cause other ethylene-sensitive produce such as berries, cherries and grapes, to ripen and ruin faster - so these should be kept separate. Ripe bananas should be kept in a sealed tub or the fridge, hung on a hook in a cool dry space or frozen in slices. Berries should be checked (but not washed) before storing, as one single mouldy berry will quickly contaminate the rest. Veg going a bit 'bendy' may well just be dehydrated... just trim off the ends and submerge it in cold water to bring it back to life. I have a few changes to make then. I'll let you know how I get on...