Each year, a staggering amount of food is wasted globally, with approximately 1.3 billion tons or one-third of all food fit for consumption, discarded throughout its life cycle. While much of this food is lost during the agricultural, processing or distribution phases, significant quantities continue to be deliberately discarded during the consumption phase by supermarkets, shops, and households.
Research reveals that the typical household throws away an average of 31.9% of the food it purchases, and much of this is due to food spoilage. Given the increasing cost of food globally and the significant economic and environmental consequences of food waste, it is essential to take steps to minimize food spoilage at home. In this article, we have outlined some helpful tips to help you keep your food fresher for longer.
Keep in mind the principle of ‘first in, first out’ when consuming the food you buy. In particular, when stocking up on your groceries and other perishables, make sure to position newer produce behind older food items to help you keep track of items that need to be consumed first.
By adopting this simple, yet effective method, you can gain greater control over your food inventory as well as costs helping you to significantly reduce the amount of food you waste due to spoilage.
Food will spoil faster at higher temperatures due to the growth of microbes like bacteria, fungi and mold. To keep your food fresher for longer make sure you store it at the appropriate temperature to preserve its quality and maximize its shelf life.
Perishable items like dairy, meats, and certain fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated to significantly slow down the growth of harmful microbes, prolonging their freshness and reducing unnecessary waste. When it comes to non-perishable items, it’s best to find a cool, dry spot in your pantry for storage. By doing so, you can maintain their quality and freshness for longer.
In addition to storing your food in the correct environment, proper food packaging plays an important role when it comes to the preservation and longevity of your food. Moisture from the air is one of the main reasons food spoils, causing it to change color, flavor and become rancid. In addition to this, oxidation, due to the oxygen content in the air, also causes food to spoil.
To prevent your food from decaying, it is essential to package it appropriately using methods like air-tight containers, vacuum sealing, aluminum foil, and saran wrap. You can learn more about the similarities between vacuum pouches and shrink wraps by reading this comparison by TDI Packsys.
Whether it’s artificial or natural, light can speed up the food decaying process due to something called photodegradation. This can cause color fading, loss of nutritional value, and flavor change in food products. It can also cause bacteria growth further deteriorating the safety and quality of your food.The effect of light is especially harmful for fresh foods so it is important to store them in places that avoid direct light such as a pantry shelf or low cupboard.
By following the tips in this article, you can ensure the safety and quality of the food you buy, avoiding unnecessary spoilage and waste.
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