On the turn: A bunch of bananas (Image: Getty Images/fStop)
Brits throw away a staggering 115 bananas a year each, equating to 3.2 billion, based on 28.4 million UK households.
A third of us (32%) claim to have the vegetables and salads yet more than half of us (54%) admit to throwing too much of it away, NINE pieces week on average, amounting to £468 a year, according to new data by Aldi.
After the humble banana, tomatoes and potatoes are the next most frequently binned fresh food item, with Brits chucking away 2.8 billion of each, every year (99 per UK household on average) – as well as 2.6 billion carrots (94 per household).
Overall, 56% of those surveyed admit that they completely forget about the healthy food they’ve bought at the supermarket and leave it to rot in the bottom of the fridge.
Almost a quarter (24%) say they only get through half a bag of salad before having to throw it away, with 57% admitting they don’t fully understand exactly where and how to store food to keep it fresh for longer.
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Only three in ten (30%) of Brits know to buy bananas green to make them last longer, while just 29 percent know it’s best to put tomatoes on the counter, not in the fridge.
Food waste expert and author, Kate Hall, has worked with Aldi to share tips to keeping fruit and veg fresh for longer. She said: “Food waste is a major issue for many households across the UK, wasting both our time and money.
“However, there are many small changes we can make that can have a big positive impact. By storing our produce differently or adopting a few simple habits, we can significantly reduce food waste, save money, and make sure we eat the food we’ve worked hard to pay for.”
Bananas should be kept cool and protected from the light. They should be stored at around 12°C, as they will ripen quicker if they are too warm. Pop them into the fridge. If you want to store your bananas correctly, you can certainly store them in the fridge.
Use the juice trick: Once a banana has been cut and is exposed to the air it will quickly turn brown. If you want to keep slices of banana fresh, sprinkle some lemon juice or pineapple juice on them – this is particularly delicious in fruit salads. If the slices of fruit are also wrapped airtight and kept in a cool place, they will remain appetising for longer.
Don’t wrap them completely in plastic: Never store an entire banana in a plastic bag. These sweet treats will rot very quickly in a warm and moist environment and will be inedible.
Don’t store them directly next to other fruit: Please mind the gap! Apples and avocados help ( inadvertently) in the ripening process so store them in glorious isolation if want to keep your bananas fresher for longer.
If your bananas are already ripe and you don’t want them to ripen any more, either keep them in a sealed tub. You can freeze slices of banana too for quick snacks and recipes.
Finally don’t exert any pressure on them. Hanging them up on a banana tree will prevent brown bruises. And if you find your furit and veg are past their prime when you get them home take them back!
Mouldy tomatoes and carrots (Image: Kerry Elson / SWNS.COM)
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, added “If customers aren’t satisfied with their purchase, they are welcome to return fresh fruit and vegetables for a full refund.”
The research also found that families are struggling the most not to waste food, as 28 percent agree having a family makes it much harder to limit food waste.
Interestingly, 55 percent of the 45–59-year-olds polled believe that their age group are the most concerned about reducing food waste compared to other generations.
MOST THROWN AWAY FRESH FOODS…
1. 114 bananas per year, per household (3.2 billion)
2. 99 tomatoes (2.8 billion
3. 99 potatoes (2.8 billion)
4. 94 carrots (2.6 billion)
5. 88 apples (2.4 billion)
6. 88 oranges (2.4 billion)
7. 88 mushrooms (2.4 billion)
8. 88 satsumas and easy peelers (2.4 billion)
9. 83 onions (2.3 billion)
10. 83 peppers (2.3 billion)
Home food waste expert and author, Kate Hall, top tips to guarantee fresh fruit and veg for longer:
1. Keep it cold – If your fridge is warmer than 5°C, your food won’t last as long as it could.
2. Check your drawers – 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.
3. Pop your potatoes in the fridge – Potatoes are best stored in the fridge which can help them last over three times longer! If you don’t have enough fridge space, keep them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area like the garage and away from onions.
4. Give your leaves a helping hand – Help your bagged salad leaves last a few days longer by placing a sheet of kitchen paper into the container they are stored in to absorb any excess moisture.
5. Beware of Ethylene Gas – Certain fruits and veggies like bananas, apples and tomatoes emit high levels of ethylene gas (a natural gas that’s produced as fruit ripens), which can cause your other ethylene-sensitive produce, such as berries, cherries and grapes, to ripen and ruin faster – so keep them ALL separate!
6. Always check your berries – If there is one single mouldy berry hiding away in your punnet, then microscopic spores can easily and quickly contaminate the rest. Try to only wash them before you eat so not to add more unnecessary moisture.
7. Don’t pre-prep your fruit or veg – Whilst some people will swear by prepping ahead to get their daily dose of goodness, this can lead to your produce spoiling faster. To help your fruit and veg last as long as possible, keep its outer armour intact until you’re ready to eat it.
8. Give your veg a drink – If you see veg going a bit ‘bendy’, try trimming the ends and submerging them in cold water. Often veg has not gone bad, it’s just dehydrated!