Freezer Fairy campaign

Food Standards Agency Freezer Fairy

Residents are being encouraged to plan their meals in advance and use their freezers for a less stressful and wasteful Christmas this year.

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Freezer Fairy campaign aims to help people plan ahead and freeze their Christmas meals, so they have more time for fun and family during the festive period.

It also provides helpful hints on how to reduce food waste by storing and cooking leftover food safely.

According to research conducted by the FSA, cooking Christmas dinner is the second most worrying part of the holidays, following buying presents. Nearly a third (29%) of people prepare Christmas dinner for more than seven guests, which can mean having to handle different defrosting and cooking times for food, as well as making sure that large amounts of food are stored safely. The average time spent in the kitchen on Christmas Day is five hours.

Doing the shopping early to find bargains, preparing and freezing meats, vegetables and desserts, planning portion sizes and using already frozen party snacks to save fridge space are just some of the helpful hints being suggested.

Households are often more wasteful during the Christmas period. 30 per cent of the people asked in a recent survey admitted to throwing food away as they had bought too much and didn’t eat it, and over half (54%) said they felt guilty when throwing food away. It is hoped that by providing advice on how to freeze and defrost safely, will tackle freezer misconceptions and reduce food waste.

Dr Kevin Hargin, head of foodborne disease control at the FSA, said: “Every year, we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink from our homes. Much of this waste is unnecessary, and a better understanding of how to freeze food safely could go a significant way towards tackling the problem.”

“The freezer is like a pause button, so you can freeze foods right up to the ‘use by’ date. While food is kept safe in the freezer, it’s the quality that deteriorates over time, so we recommend eating it within three to six months and checking for any freezing instructions on the packaging. Once defrosted, the pause button is off, so defrost food as and when you need it and eat it within 24 hours of it being fully defrosted.”