APPLES LAST TWO WEEKS LONGER IN THE FRIDGE

HALF a million tons of food could be saved every year if retailers used labels that encouraged people to store food properly.

Food should be stored in fridges cooler than 5C. But according to studies, the average fridge temperature in the UK is 7C with some as high as 14C. Government guidelines urge supermarkets to print a ‘little blue fridge’ 5C logo on products to encourage customers to keep their food cool and fresh – but only one in seven relevant products carries the logo.

Two in three people are not aware that storing apples in the fridge at 4C can prolong life by up to two weeks, an MoS survey found.

Meanwhile, Government guidelines say supermarkets should use snowflake logos on the front and back of packaging to indicate it is suitable for freezing. More than half of food that can be frozen doesn’t carry the label, and WRAP says using the label would save thousands of tons of bread, meat and milk every year. WRAP estimates that about 300,000 tons of food could also be saved if retailers included on-pack recipe ideas.