Buy Loose, Waste Less
Video
We buy a bag of potatoes. We eat half the bag. The rest? They end up in the bin. It’s an all too familiar pattern happening in kitchens across the UK. And it is crazy that the packaging makes us buy more than we need.
Our research shows that if all apples, bananas and potatoes were sold loose instead of in bags sold by weight, we could save 60,000 tonnes of food waste each year. That’s 8.2 million shopping baskets!
“I don’t know why they put so many carrots in this bag, I’m not going to get through them.”
Poll
Let’s put this to a vote…
We’ve heard people talk about their concerns with buying loose and here are our answers for the top three:
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Loose fruit and veg is not hygienic
Lots of fruit and vegetables are already naturally wrapped – like oranges – and these wrappers are removed before eating. Either way the Food Standards Agency recommends washing fruit and vegetables with water before you eat them to make sure that they are clean. This advice applies to produce whether it has been bought in packaging or loose.
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Loose fruit and veg goes off quickly compared to packaged
The biggest factor in keeping your fruit and vegetables fresher for longer is correct storage! All fruits and vegetables should be stored in the fridge at a temperature below 5°C, apart from bananas, whole pineapples, and onions. WRAP’s research has shown that loose apples kept in the fridge had their edible life extended by 69 days and loose potatoes by 90 days! (Helping people to reduce fresh produce waste | WRAP)
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Buying loose is too expensive
Pricing will vary retailer to retailer and will depend on promotions which may be running at any given time. That said, these days most retailers are keen to ensure their loose fruit and veg offerings are priced at the same level as their packaged counterparts. What we can say for definite is that where buying loose allows you to buy more closely to the needs of your home, it will be better value as you are less likely to end up binning food that hasn’t been used in time. Fresh fruit and vegetables are among the most highly wasted foods in the UK, with 2.9 million potatoes and 1 million whole bananas thrown away each day – and we know that wasted food costs the average family with children around £80 per month.
If you are interested in finding out more about why buying loose is so important and what you can do about it go to our quiz and answer a few questions to get tailored information for you.