The ‘Chill The Fridge Out’ campaign has been created by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to help inform the nation about the correct temperature to set their fridge – which is below 5˚C. As one of WRAP’s partners, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, is also helping to promote this message on its website and social media channels. The two-week campaign, which runs until 4th November, will show 18 – 34 year-old students, professionals and young families how to keep food fresher for longer in a fridge set at the right temperature.
Do you know what temperature your fridge should be? The average UK fridge is operating at 7˚C, but to ensure food is kept both safe and fresh the Food Standards Agency recommends a temperature of 1 - 5˚C. To confuse matters further there are a vast variety of fridges currently in use with controls varying between brands and models. So to help solve this problem there is a free and simple tool available as part of the campaign. Chill The Fridge Out website will guide users in how to achieve optimum chill and make the most out of their fridge at home.
Food waste is not only expensive (a family of four throws away £70 worth of food every month) but is also contributing to the harmful gases that are contributing to climate change. Blaenau Gwent Council collects food waste weekly in a seperate food caddy and it is important to mention that no food waste should be placed in black bag collections, as this only adds to the greenhouse effect.
For instance, milk is the third most wasted food and drink product in the UK. If your fridge is set below 5˚C the milk and other food items will last up to three days longer. This makes sense as currently there are a massive three million glasses of milk poured down the drain every day, mainly because it has not been used in time.
Councillor Garth Collier, Deputy Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council added:
“Food waste is a problem that we are committed to tackle. Just by turning down the temperature of your fridge below 5˚C will keep your food fresher for longer, save families money and help reduce waste sent off to our landfill. It is important that everyone is aware of how to get the best out of their fridge, and we are happy to support the ‘Chill The Fridge Out’ campaign in highlighting this issue”.