In Australia, every one in every five shopping bags of food will be wasted. That's about four million tonnes of perfectly good food going to waste each year.
Much of our food goes out of date before it can be consumed, which means all of the CO2 pollution embedded in producing it has been in vain. Every time you eat food, think about everything that's gone into getting it on to your plate – land, energy, water, transport, storage, marketing, natural resources, chemicals and more. Every morsel is important!
As the Australian Government reports, food production generates greenhouse gases from a variety of sources:
- fossil fuel energy used to mine, produce and transport packaging materials
- methane released by animals and the farming of land
- the breakdown of food and garden waste.
Freezing food is a great way to avoid waste and make food last longer. Here are 6 surprising foods which can take the big chill.
1. Cake
I thought I'd start with the most exciting. Personally, I love feeling forced to eat a cake before it goes stale it's my reason for being. I get text messages from neighbours asking me to come over and help eat their cake (seriously). However I know that's not for everyone. The great thing about freezing cake is being able to slice and freeze individual portions. Let it thaw, eat it cold or heat it: the world of cake temperature is your wonderland.
2. Avocados
Not a whole avocado, that's madness... but pureed avocado mixed with tablespoon of citrus will freeze a treat in air tight container.
3. Citrus fruits
Freeze the juice or freeze the fruit. Just wash and peel, slice and remove pips if desired.
4. Garlic
Freeze the whole bulb or individual pieces for more specific portion sizes. If you have the time and patience, crush or slice before freezing... or for something different try mixing with some herbs and olive oil.
5. Eggs
Yep, you can freeze eggs... just not in the shell. Remove them from the shell, whisk and freeze the insides. They can last up to one year in the freezer and are great for baking.
6. Milk
Worried your milk is going a bit funky? You can freeze that! While it's not great for drinking, you can certainly use it for baking.
Do you know of any other surprising foods you can freeze? Let us know below or tweet us with the tag #youcanfreezethat.
Did you know?
Up to 30% of food we buy is wasted, at an estimated national cost of $5 billion-plus a year. Cut down on waste by not letting food go out of date, avoiding over-catering and looking after any leftovers.
Estimated CO2 Saving: 8kg per month (100kg per year)
