We have all been there: picking a bunch of bright yellow bananas lying in the fresh aisle in a grocery store. Before you know it, you find them in your kitchen, brown and mushy. And sooner or later they end up in the bin. What if you could keep bananas in their prime for a longer period of time? Discount supermarket giant Aldi has shared some tips for shoppers to prevent the bananas they buy from turning brown and mushy. The retailer, which was named the cheapest supermarket in the UK in April, has released guidelines that could help people keep bananas fresh for longer.
How to keep bananas fresh for longer?
The retailer teamed up with food storage specialist Kate Hall and shared some tips on how to preserve everyday staples, including milk, potatoes and bananas. This comes after research by the retail chain revealed that the average Briton throws away £387 worth of food every year. Seven out of 10 admitted that they purchase food fully expecting to bin it.If you want to keep your bananas fresh for longer, Kate suggests slicing them up and popping them into the freezer. “Let’s face it, we can’t always make banana bread every time a bunch gets past its best. But if you can spare 30 seconds to peel, slice and freeze bananas, you can avoid them going to waste. Just spread them out on a lined tray before freezing so that they don’t clump together, and then store them in a resealable freezer bag. These are perfect for making banana ice cream or chocolate peanut butter bites,” she said.According to her, this can work for many other fruits and vegetables. “You can use the same approach to save lots of other fruits and veg too; for example, cucumbers can be sliced and frozen to be used instead of ice cubes, added to smoothies, or even blitzed into a refreshing sorbet.”This way, your fresh produce does not end up in the bin. “Using your freezer is such a simple way to press pause on your food so it doesn’t end up in the bin. Freezing food can help our budgets stretch further, and you can actually freeze a lot more than people realise. The trick is knowing the best way to freeze food and what to do with it after freezing,” she added.According to Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, they are working towards reducing food waste by informing customers. “At Aldi, we’re committed to reducing food waste wherever we can across our supply chain, whether that be working with suppliers to cut down on waste, or marking down prices of items nearing their sell-by date,” Emery said.“Now we’re on a mission to help shoppers minimise their food waste too, while getting even more value from their Aldi groceries at the same time. It seems simple, but the research shows that freezing items still isn’t something many do – so we want to showcase just how easy that can be,” he added.So, the next time you have some extra produce, you know what to do.
