Monday 31st January 2022
At Yeo Valley we love food and hate waste, which is why we were shocked to find that 490 million pints of milk are wasted every year in the UK! (1)
Our organic dairy products are just too delicious to go to waste, so you might spot a change on our packaging when you next buy your favourite Yeo goodie. We have moved from using ‘Use Buy’ dates on our butter, cheese, milk and natural yogurt to ‘Best Before Dates’.
What this means is that our products are at their best before this date, but can still be eaten – and still taste good – after this date.
So how do you know that it’s still good to use?
The simple “Look, Smell, Taste” test from Too Good To Go is a good process to follow. Essentially use your sight, smell and taste to determine whether you can still use the product, instead of just throwing it away.
Read on for some more tips on fighting food waste in your fridge!
- Check the Temp
Did you know, 70% of fridges are set at the wrong temperature? (2) If your fridge isn’t cool enough then your food will spoil much more quickly. Ensure your fridge is between 0°C and 5°C so your food lasts for longer and you don’t have to waste it.
2) Store Your Food Properly
By storing your food in the correct places, you can reduce your food waste. Not everything stored best in the fridge. For example, bread actually goes stale much quicker in the fridge! It should be kept in a cool, dark place. Also, dairy products like cheese need to be kept well-wrapped once opened, such as in an airtight container, so it stays fresher for longer.
3) Get Creative with Leftovers
We have loads of fun recipes for you to try using our Yeo products! If you’ve got a dollop of our Natural Yogurt leftover why not try in our Fluffy Omelette recipe or in a Spinach Soup. Or if you’ve got some Super Thick to use up our Yogurt Pancakes Recipe are a great way to make sure you enjoy every last drop. View all our recipes here.
We hope these tips will show you just how easy it is to reduce food waste in your home! You can read more about tackling food waste here: Love Food Hate Waste |
Would agree that organic bread goes off more quickly , but I disagree about bread going if in fridge more quickly. I don’t put it in right away , but after a few days I might if not using it quickly. Always find it lasts well. I also do not worry about dates… Look, smell and taste . Just finished eggs from last Aug and Oct…. And in fridge. Might have lost some nutrition ? But looked and tasted great.
I use any sour milk to make excellent pancakes, scones and soda bread .
I detest food waste I’ve always rotated stored food to prevent this problem. I have for some time now removed the use buy dates after purchasing so I always Look,Smell,Taste
Changing to Best Before is absolutely brilliant – I have spent many years enjoying yoghurt sometimes as long as 2 to 3 weeks beyond the ‘use by’ dates. I have also noticed milk lasts much longer than the ‘use by’ dates these days, so this is a very positive change. You will just have to be clear with promoting Look Smell Taste campaign as some people still think it will be no good beyond ‘Best before’ dates.
I agree with your advice on dates, and almost never waste food. Now eating my home-made cake made from flour with expiry date of 2014 – perfect. Regarding bread kept in fridge, bread may look and feel stale but possibly less likely to go mouldy unless cupboard is cold and has low humidity. I find that organic bread may go mouldy sooner. What do you think?
I do like the idea of a label that says if milk is cold or too warm.
I disagree that so much milk is wasted, it isn’t in my house.We usually run out of milk especially if 4 adults have breakfast and tea and later maybe molky drink to and sleep.Not to mention if used in a lasagne or moussaka or pancakes. I honestly don’t remember throwing milk away possibly when we had our older fridge, if it had been warm outside when milkman left it.
If I have milk/cream that’s a little “past it’s best,” I make cheese sauce, (for all sorts of things),pancakes, gingerbread, soup, bread, etc, etc. All perfectly edible, and saves waste and MONEY!!
Make white sauce and freeze it. It’s handy for cauli cheese, lasagne, parsley sauce etc.
I have always done this as I was brought up during the war and I have eaten yogurts a month out of date. Also fruit and vegetables can nearly all be used sometime after the ‘best before date’ and I notice some supermarkets are leaving this date off. I often wonder why carrots and potatoes have a date on, if I grown them I harvest in the autumn and use right through to the following summer if I have enough. Tins are another item provided the tin has not blown the contents are more often than not OK to eat.
Try before you bin.