Food waste is something that affects us all. Whether it’s cooking too much food (the dreaded rice) or forgetting about a product that has gone out of date, most of us are guilty when it comes to throwing away food.

It is estimated that food waste costs the average household a staggering £470 a year – a figure which could pay for a relaxing weekend away.

At Fresh from the Freezer we love the freezer and have longed shouted its benefits. It is also the ideal place to store all you food for the week ahead.

Planning your meals for the week can not only help you to reduce time in the kitchen but can also help you to save money and reduce food waste. Check out this handy infographic from the Food Standards Agency.

There are so many questions when it comes to freezing your food, so here are a few handy facts and tips to help you along the way:

• Freezing naturally locks in nutrients and vitamins with no need for preservatives.
• All foods can be safely frozen, but some foods should not be frozen due to water content reducing quality (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, cream etc.)
• Frozen food stored consistently at -18°C or lower will remain safe indefinitely
• Most domestic freezers should operate at temperatures -18°C or lower. As a general rule, if your freezer can’t keep ice cream solid, its temperature is above the recommended level
• Always refer to the on-pack ‘best before’ date. The manufacturer’s ‘best before’ date on frozen foods is a quality indicator not a safety indicator and is the date until which the product will remain of peak quality (when stored at -18°C or below). For storage in a 3-star or 4-star freezer manufacturers will normally recommend ‘store until best before date’
• After the ‘best before’ date a reduction in eating quality may become evident, whilst the product remains safe to eat
• Try to rotate foods; putting newly purchased items at the back of the freezer so older items are used first
• Freeze your frozen food in appropriate containers, e.g. freezer bags and airtight containers.
• Frozen food that has been cooked can be refrozen, however food should only be placed back in the freezer once it has reduced to room temperature.

If you are still unsure about refreezing your food, you could always use the vast array of frozen food products that are pre-prepared and pre-portioned, allowing you to reduce your food waste as any unused food can be placed back in the freezer.

If you would like any more information or are unclear about anything we have touched on, please visit our FAQs or Frozen food storage advice pages.

You can find more useful information about freezing your food by following the hashtag #EatItCookItFreezeIt.