How we chuck out 250,000 chickens a day

CONSUMERS throw away the equivalent of 250,000 chickens every day because we do not know how to keep the meat properly.

The waste adds up to the equivalent of 86million birds a year with a retail cost of £660million.

Many young adults are unaware of simple rules of how to cook and store chicken to ensure it remains safe and good to eat and will throw it out because it has hit the ‘use by’ date. In fact, this chicken can safely be put in the freezer for up to a year and defrosted and cooked as if it had just arrived from the supermarket.

The eighteen to 34-year-olds are also unaware it is safe to defrost chicken, cook it, and then freeze it again to use at a later date. Details come from the Love Food Hate Waste organisation and its ‘Give a Cluck’ campaign.

It recommends that cooked poultry can be kept in the freezer for up to six months. While the meat will be safe to eat after this time, it may not be at its best in terms of flavour and texture.

The organisation’s survey showed that when questioned about preparing and freezing poultry compared to other meats, over a quarter of young adults – 27 per cent – admitted they were not confident.

Around four in ten were not aware it is possible to freeze raw poultry, cook it and then freeze it again without compromising safety.

Campaign spokesman Helen White said: ‘We’re asking people to have a plan for their poultry, such as freezing right up to the ‘use by’ date, so your bird doesn’t end up in the bin.’