Pop-up store in Shoreditch gives away fresh food for free – by freezing it

Items include eggs, meats and herbs 

A pop-up store featuring food which has had its shelf-life extended by being frozen has opened - and everything is being given away for FREE. Launched by Sainsburys – ‘Sainsfreeze’, which is located in Shoreditch, is highlighting ways consumers can reduce food waste by putting fresh produce in their freezers. Frozen items including eggs, meat, herbs and baked goods will be available to the public without charge. Many of these items are goods consumers might not realise can be frozen and eaten at a later date. Ruth Cranston, director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said: “When people think about climate change, food waste often gets overlooked. “Around a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted and it contributes a whopping eight to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally each year. “That is why we are launching Sainsfreeze, to help customers try and combat food waste and learn handy hints and top tips along the way. “Innovative freezing not only allows us to save food we would otherwise have thrown away, but also to buy reduced priced food close to its use-by date, saving even more money on the weekly grocery bill.” [caption id="attachment_360782" align="alignnone" width="1365"] Mike Buck/ SWNS[/caption] A study of 2,000 adults, also commissioned by the supermarket chain, found 58 per cent are looking to reduce their spending. With 35 per cent aiming to do this by throwing away less food. More than a third (36 per cent) tend to throw away food because it’s gone mouldy, with bread, milk, and salad the most commonly binned goods. But it’s quite likely the amount of discarded produce could be avoided or reduced if consumers were to freeze food items when they were fresh. However, the study carried out through OnePoll suggests many adults are unaware particular goods can be frozen. Only 11 per cent realised eggs can be frozen and just 24 per cent knew the same about herbs. While only 18 per cent were aware yoghurt can also be frozen. [caption id="attachment_360784" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Mike Buck/ SWNS[/caption] Catherine David, director of collaboration and change, WRAP, said: “We know that our freezer can be our friend when it comes to helping us use more of the food we buy. “We can use it to press pause on food that we’re not ready to eat yet, right up to the use by date. “But we also know that not everyone is yet a freezer fan. “We found that a third of people admit their freezer is sometimes a total disaster area. "This results in UFOs, or unidentified frozen objects and around 20 per cent of us throw away something frozen because it has laid dormant for too long. “Initiatives like Sainsfreeze help people think about how to make the most of their freezer and ensure that food that we freeze then gets used safely.” The pop-up is open today (27 September) and tomorrow (28 September) in Boxpark, Shoreditch, from 10am to 6pm. Any surplus food will be donated to charity FareShare. Related links:

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