21 August 2012
The first ‘National Fridge Audit’ by Beko home appliances showed that a
staggering 30 million of us admit to having out of date food in our fridge.
Alarmingly, although half of us say we would never serve a guest food that
is out of date, that means that there are still around 1.2 million potential
hosts in Britain who would secretly scrape off the mouldy parts and then
serve up the rest.
According to the new study out today, three quarters of us would still eat
food that was past its use by date, happy to trust our nose and judgement
with a quick ‘sniff test’. If you’re going round to your neighbours for a
dinner party this weekend you’d better beware as two thirds of Brits think
that the use by date is just a guide.
Old cheese tops the list for the average Brit as the worst offender but the
top ten out of date chilled items in the UK today are:
1. Cheese
2. Jar of curry sauce
3. Yogurt
4. Eggs
5. Milk
6. Open can of beans
7. Fruit
8. Bread
9. Meat
10. Fish
Behind closed doors, over a quarter of us cite fridge habits as the cause of
arguments with our housemates or partner. Topics that really tick us off
include how things are stored, like a half eaten tin of beans left
uncovered.
In fact, one in 10 Brits say they argue with their partner on whether things
should be refrigerated, such as eggs, and with over half of people wrongly
believing eggs have to be kept in the fridge, while over 40% think that jam,
marmalade, honey and ketchup should be kept cooled despite being fine to be
stored at room temperature.
Top 10 things that Brits refrigerate unnecessarily:
1. Eggs
2. Jam/marmalade
3. Honey
4. Onions
5. Garlic
6. Bread
7. Potatoes
8. Bananas
9. Dried Fruit
10. Tinned vegetables
Confirming that the contents of our fridges can speak volumes, when it comes
to our friends one fifth of Britons admitted they judge others’ lifestyle
choices by the contents of their fridge. Indeed, one in eight admitted they
would be unlikely to go to a friend’s house for dinner if their fridge was
messy or dirty and more men than women agreed that if they spotted budget
brands in the fridge they would think that their friend was ‘tight’.
Teresa Arbuckle of Beko Plc, who carried out the poll, said: “Our survey
reveals that we are nation who judge each other on the contents of our
chiller – the fridge is the new status symbol.
“So it is surprising to learn that so many of us are running on empty where
our food is concerned, almost a third of people saying their fridge usually
contains the bare minimum to get them through the week.
“Beko understands the pressures of modern living and is proud to offer
refrigerators to suit every home no matter what the individual needs or
space available. Packed with the latest technologies, our fridges help to
keep produce fresher for longer and sleek designs that will be the envy of
all your friends.”
Leading UK appliance brand Beko plc, has enlisted the assistance of 2012
Masterchef winner Shelina Permalloo, who agrees: “The rising popularity of
entertaining at home, particularly with the summer of sporting events and
Autumn of new talent shows on TV, friends and neighbours will have plenty of
opportunity to peep in your fridge.
“It is important to keep your fridge stocked up and well maintained not only
to avoid embarrassing questions from house guests, but also to make sure
ourselves and our families aren't being exposed to any health risks. And as
any host will tell you, cooking from scratch and home entertaining is an
easy way to impress your guests – and lots of fun too!”
For more details www.beko.co.uk or contact beko@mercieca.co.uk
Comments
Post a Comment