Expert reveals why milk could be going off for you so quickly
Despite food inflation dropping to
17.1 per cent in April, recent reports have revealed that food prices in the UK have doubled in the past year with meat, vegetable and dairy products being the worst affected.
According to Which?, the price of milk has increased by 24.2 per cent in the last 12 months, making milk one of the worst food categories to be affected by inflation.
Despite increasing prices, milk is one of the UK's most commonly wasted food groups, with 490 million pints of milk going to waste each year in the UK – that’s just over 1.3 million pints per day!
In an effort to prevent milk waste, InSinkErator has revealed how you can tell if your milk has gone off and how to keep your milk fresher for longer in order to avoid waste.
Your fridge could be the reason your milk isn’t staying fresh for long
The temperature of a fridge is a large contributing factor for keeping your food fresh for as long as possible. Knowing the temperature at which specific foods and drinks need to be kept at is a good way for ensuring optimal freshness.
In the UK the average fridge temperature is seven degrees, however, it’s advised that milk should be kept between one and four degrees. With this in mind, you may want to consider checking the current temperature of your fridge. A good way of doing this is by using a thermometer and measuring the temperature of two food items in different areas of your fridge. Make sure to clean and disinfect the thermometer between testing to avoid cross contamination.
If you find your fridge is not at the right temperature, you may want to consider adjusting this.
How to adjust your fridge temperature – Whether you have a fridge with a thermostat or a digital display, adjusting its temperature is extremely simple. When doing so, it may take up to 24 hours to fully adjust.
Once fully adjusted, check your fridge temperature once a week to ensure there have been no further changes.
Despite doing this, there may be other factors that contribute to your milk going off prematurely. To avoid consuming gone off milk, these are the signs to look out for.
Three ways to tell if your milk has gone off
Smell it – The easiest way to check whether your milk has gone off is to smell it. Spoiled milk has a distinct sour odour, which is caused by lactic acid being produced by bacteria. Remember that fresh milk does not have an unpleasant odour.
Check its texture – When milk is fresh, it is a smooth liquid. If you happen to spot any lumps in your milk, it is not fresh.
In order to check the texture of your milk, pour some into a glass and if it begins to curdle, it should not be consumed.
Check the colour – Fresh milk is white. If you notice that your milk has turned slightly yellow, the likelihood is that your milk has spoilt.
In order to check the colour of your milk, pour it into a clear glass and hold it against the light.