Diving into your Food Savings Challenge
Fix your food storage
Did you know fruit and veg are among the top five most wasted foods in Australia1? It’s important to know how to best store food, so you can get the most out of your produce.
This means you can keep and use your food for longer periods, reducing the need to replace expired or spoiled items, helping you save food and, doing more for your wallet and the planet.
Diving into your Food Savings Challenge
Fix your food storage
Did you know fruit and veg are among the top five most wasted foods in Australia1? It’s important to know how to best store food, so you can get the most out of your produce.
This means you can keep and use your food for longer periods, reducing the need to replace expired or spoiled items, helping you save food and, doing more for your wallet and the planet.
Fix your food storage with Khahn
Store smarter
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(Khanh Ong) Storing food correctly helps you save more. Freeze some bread as soon as you bring it home to stop mould costing you money. A lot of fruits produce ethylene gas, like bananas. When stored together, they spoil other fruits. So, once those avos are ripe, keep them in the fridge. Learn which parts of your fridge suit what food, so you don't waste money having to buy something again.
Like, steak should go on the lowest, coldest shelf.
Good Steve, learning. Discover more tips below to see what you can save.
More storage tips
Read on for a few more tips that’ll help keep your food on the shelf. Take a look and see if you can add any more food waste-saving actions to your Challenge goals!
Separate ethylene-producing fruits
Ethylene is a gas produced by certain fruits like apples, bananas, and avocados, which can make other produce ripen and spoil quicker. Store these items separately to avoid re-buying spoiled produce and hold onto your money.
Place leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale in roomy, airtight containers. Leave some space for air circulation. Those $2.60^ bags of spinach can be a costly waste, especially if you’re buying one a week and not using it all.
Root veggies like potatoes, onions, and garlic should be stored in a cool, dry dark place – such as your pantry, or in a ventilated area. Keep potatoes and onions separate to avoid your potatoes ripening too quickly!
Place citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits in the fridge, inside a crisper to retain moisture without excess humidity. By avoiding throwing out just one grapefruit and a couple of oranges a week you could save up to $174.72^ a year. You can also squeeze and freeze citrus juice in ice cube trays and add to your cooking, salad dressing or tea when needed!
Many fruits and vegetables can be sliced and stored in airtight containers or freezer bags and then frozen to extend their shelf life for several months.
Dishes like casseroles, soups and curries freeze well. If you’ve prepared a large amount, freeze a few portions to defrost for single meals when you’re on the go.
Fix your fridge storage
Your fridge helps you get maximum value from the cold hard cash you’ve already spent. But there’s more to it than just dumping your groceries inside and hoping for the best! Taking some time to store food properly will make it last longer.
Freeze food you won't consume before it spoils. Remember to use airtight containers, don’t overfill it, and regularly check to see what needs to be eaten (this will also make space to freeze more). That fortnightly bunch of bananas you can’t seem to use up? Peel, chop and freeze for smoothies!
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Maintain your fridge temperature at 4°C2 and avoid packing it with too much food as cold air needs to circulate properly.
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Dedicate the upper shelves for storing leftovers and perishable food that need to be consumed first. This is also the ideal spot for storing eggs.
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The door is most suitable for storing butter, condiments, and beverages (excluding milk).
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Store meat, poultry, and seafood here, as they tend to be the coldest parts of the fridge. Milk should also be kept towards the back of a lower shelf. Throwing out half a litre each week could add up to about $42.90^ in food waste per year.
Get a roll on with your Food Savings Challenge
To help you stay on top of your goals, sign up to receive some choice tips, to help you reduce your food waste. And when you sign up, you’ll score a roll of OzHarvest’s Use It Up TapeTM, it’s a real game-changer for helping to save food waste and could help you get over the line on your Food Savings Challenge goals.
Things you should know
1 Source: OzHarvest & Southern Cross Austereo Research, 2017.
2 Source: OzHarvest: A Guide to storing food in your fridge and freezer.
^ Food item prices are based on average online prices published by two major supermarkets on 18th September 2023 in Brisbane, Queensland. Food item prices are subject to change.
