If you would like to help save the environment and at the same time save money, it is always a good idea to check what you have in the fridge before going food shopping.
Every year, huge amounts of food are thrown away. A large percentage of the food thrown away is still edible, but ends up in the rubbish bin.
Some people throw away food they have had in the fridge for a few days because they “think” it's gone off. Check everything before throwing it in the bin – see below for information on how to check the quality of seafood.
Three steps to saving food from the bin:
- Have a look in your fridge, freezer and cupboards – you’ll most likely find something you can eat before going to the shops for more food.
- Introduce left-over Thursday, when you only eat what’s left in your fridge. We mainly throw out fruit and vegetables, but also fish and meat. By frequently checking your fridge and cupboards, it will become easier to understand if you are buying too much or too little of one product.
- Make a habit of smelling and tasting food before throwing it in the bin. A lot of products are still fine to eat after their sell-by date, so use your senses to decide whether the food can still be eaten. When it comes to seafood, it is a good idea to learn how to assess the quality of fish and seafood.
One piece of advice that seems simple but does require some practice is to change the way you think about the food in your fridge. Take out the vegetable drawer in the fridge and spread what you have over your kitchen top, and you are bound to find inspiration for your meal that day – at no cost.
Get to know your fish
When assessing the quality of fish, you are looking for three things:
Colour. When fish flesh goes slightly yellow or grey, this is a sign that it is going bad.
Consistency. A piece of fish should not be very soft, plastic or doughy.
Smell. Open the package and leave it to air before smelling it. If the fish smells slightly sweet or slightly sour, it is OK to cook. Bad fish has a strong and abnormal fish smell that is acidic to sour or pungent and rancid.
We recommend keeping fish in its original packaging or vacuum pack in the fridge or freezer. If you want to make sure you have fresh fish for dinner, buy the fish in the same week you want to serve it.
