A pop-up store featuring food which has had its shelf-life extended by being frozen has opened – and everything is being given away for FREE.
Launched by Sainsburys, the store in Shoreditch, east London – dubbed “Sainsfreeze” – is highlighting how food waste can be reduced by putting fresh produce in the freezer.
Frozen items including eggs, meat, herbs, and baked goods will be available to the public without charge.
Many of these items are goods consumers might not realise can be frozen and eaten at a later date.
Ruth Cranston, director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said: “When people think about climate change, food waste often gets overlooked.
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Mikael Buck/Sainsbury's)“Around a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, and it contributes a whopping 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally each year.
“That is why we are launching Sainsfreeze, to help customers try and combat food waste and learn handy hints and top tips along the way.
“Innovative freezing not only allows us to save food we would otherwise have thrown away, but also to buy reduced priced food close to its use-by date – saving even more money on the weekly grocery bill.”
A study of 2,000 adults, also commissioned by the supermarket chain, found nearly three in five (58%) are looking to reduce their spending – with 35% aiming to do this by throwing away less food.
More than a third (36%) tend to throw away food because it’s gone mouldy – with bread, milk, and salad the most commonly binned goods.
But it’s quite likely the amount of discarded produce could be avoided or reduced if consumers were to freeze food items when they were fresh.
However, the study carried out through OnePoll suggests many adults are unaware particular goods can be frozen.
Only one in ten (11%) realised eggs can be frozen, and just 24% knew the same about herbs – while only 18% were aware yoghurt can also be frozen.
Catherine David, director of collaboration and change at WRAP, said: “We know that our freezer can be our friend when it comes to helping us use more of the food we buy.
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Mikael Buck/Sainsbury's)“We can use it to press pause on food that we’re not ready to eat yet, right up to the use-by date.
“But we also know that not everyone is yet a freezer fan. We found that a third of people admit their freezer is sometimes a total disaster area.
“This results in UFOs, or unidentified frozen objects, and around 20% of us throw away something frozen because it has laid dormant for too long.
“Initiatives like Sainsfreeze help people think about how to make the most of their freezer, and ensure that food that we freeze then gets used safely.”
The pop-up is open today (September 27) and tomorrow (September 28) in Boxpark, Shoreditch, from 10am to 6pm.
Any surplus food will be donated to the supermarket chain’s food redistribution charity partner, FareShare, to ensure no produce goes to waste.
