29/03/2011 - Permalink

Use your loaf – don’t throw it away

Related topics: Community

Do you love bread? Most of us enjoy a slice of toast in the morning or as a snack, but did you know we throw away £640 million worth of bread every year in the UK? That’s the equivalent of 37 million slices every day!

As part of its Love Food Hate Waste campaign, Shropshire Council is advising people what simple steps we can take to get more from our daily bread, reduce the amount of bread that ends up in the bin, and save money.

Joy Blizzard, waste initiatives officer with Shropshire Council, said:

“Nobody wants to run out of bread, but most of us end up buying more than we use, and throw away on average a third of every loaf we buy. More than half of us believe that bread is stale three or four days after we buy it, but it can last longer than we might expect.

“Your bread is freshest up to and including the best before date but should be safe to eat after this date. The last few slices, even if they’re starting to go stale, are perfect for toast.”

There are a few easy things we can do to get more from our bread.

  • Storing bread in a bread bin and re-sealing the pack will keep it at its freshest. A popular myth is to keep it in the fridge, but believe it or not, this means it will actually go stale six times faster than in your bread bin/cupboard.
  • Only a third of us regularly freeze bread, but those that do say they waste less. Did you know you can toast bread, bagels, crumpets and pitta breads straight from the freezer, or even make sandwiches from frozen bread that will defrost by lunchtime?
  • A bread and butter pudding is a traditional way of using up leftover or slightly stale bread.

There are lots more great ideas on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/shropshire about how to make more of your bread, saving you time and money.

Shropshire Council is one of 32 local authorities in the West Midlands region that are signed up to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which aims to help you make the most of the food you buy, reduce food waste sent to landfill and save money.

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for economy and waste, said:

“Research released by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in 2009 showed that over 8 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in UK homes every year – that’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium eight times. Just think of all that good food and money going straight in the bin.”

If your local community group would like to get involved in the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, please contact Joy Blizzard at Shropshire Council on 01743 255991.