Reducing domestic food waste by freezing at home

• Freezing food before it spoils or ‘use by’ dates are reached can reduce waste.
• Published information on freezing suitability and storage lives were reviewed.
• The energy impact of greater freezer use was assessed experimentally.
• Costs of saved food were 300 times greater than the additional energy costs.
• Associated emissions from food were 100 times greater than from additional energy.

It is estimated that over 630,000 tonnes of ‘freezable’ food, worth up to £2.3 billion, are thrown away by UK consumers each year due to having passed labelled ‘use by’ dates or being perceived to have spoilt. Much of this food could instead have been frozen for later consumption, but research has shown that consumers are often uncertain about suitability of products for home freezing. A two-part study was therefore undertaken, starting with a literature and internet-based information review which found that although the majority of products are reported as suitable for home freezing, there is conflicting advice on some products and also marked differences between reported storage lives. As increased use of freezers would lead to greater energy consumption, the review was followed by an experimental assessment which found that the value and carbon dioxide emissions associated with the saved food far outweighed those associated with the additional energy.