Aldi UK has partnered with a food waste expert to help its customers reduce food waste and save money.
The discounter is working with social media influencer Kate Hall (@thefullfreezer) to share tips and recipes to make freezing food easier.
It comes as new research by Aldi reveals the average British consumer throws away around £387 of food a year, with seven in ten admitting to buying food knowing it will eventually end up in the bin.
Almost a third (31%) of people surveyed said they would be more likely to consider freezing food if they were more familiar with the rules around it.
“At Aldi, we’re committed to reducing food waste wherever we can across our supply chain, whether that be working with suppliers to cut down on waste, or marking down prices of items nearing their sell by date,” said Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK.
“Now we’re on a mission to help shoppers minimise their food waste too, while getting even more value from their Aldi groceries at the same time. It seems simple, but the research shows that freezing items still isn’t something many do – so we want to showcase just how easy that can be.”
Kate Hall added: “Using your freezer is such a simple way to press pause on your food so it doesn’t end up in the bin.
“Freezing food can help our budgets stretch further, and you can actually freeze a lot more than people realise. The trick is knowing the best way to freeze food and what to do with it after freezing.”
The research, which was commissioned by Aldi, also found that eggs, cucumber and lettuce were among the top foods that people never consider freezing, with as many as two thirds admitting they didn’t think they were suitable for it – despite this not being the case if prepared, frozen and reused in the right way.
Customers were also concerned about frozen food losing its flavour (25%) or that they wouldn’t like the texture after defrosting (36%).
To help educate shoppers, Aldi has worked with Kate Hall to create three recipes that give shoppers simple ways to stop food from going to waste and save money in the process.
NAM Implications:
- Every little helps.
- And £387 a year should not be sniffed at.
- Seriously, better freezer management has to be a win-win-win…
- …for consumers, Kate Hall and Aldi.
