This feature I am reading in today?s paper is worth sharing to spread the word :

Latest finding says families could save GBP 200 million  a year by lowering their fridge temperature by just three degrees . Most food would have its shelf life extended by three days if householders reduced temperatures from 7C to 4C.

WRAP, the Government?s waste quango, has studied average temperatures in Britain?s fridge-freezers and the impact on shelf life.  It found householders could save 700,000 tonnes of food annually.

The extra energy costs for keeping an appliance cooler are more than offset by the savings on food waste. Net savings of GBP 200 million could be made — even when hefty power bills are taken into account.

There was an overall reduction of 210,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions .

Even at the more energy intensive 4C, the extra energy required to refrigerate such foods was only estimated to have an annual UK cost of GBP 10 million and associated emissions of 47,000 tonnes CO2. Both financially and environmentally the savings far outweigh the energy penalty.

About 4.4 million tonnes of household food is binned a year. Some 800,000 tonnes of that is discarded because consumers fear they have not used it in time.

Most of it should be frozen to eat later but families often let it spoil in their fridges.

IT is being discussed that  manufacturers and retailers should  stop putting ?freeze on date of purchase? stickers on food because consumers often wrongly assume it would not be safe to freeze later, even if it is within its expiry date. Also labels could state ?keep refrigerated below 5C? on packaging?.

Also overloading fridges can be a costly mistake. If fridges are loaded to full levels, gaps between products [which would normally allow air circulation] may become blocked.

It is estimated that the average family wastes GBP 480 worth of food each year.