Discount supermarket chain Aldi has shared a simple yet effective food storage hack to prevent bananas from turning brown or mushy. The advice comes as part of Aldi's ongoing efforts to help customers reduce food waste and save money.
Freezing Bananas: The Key to Freshness
Aldi partnered with food storage expert Kate Hall to provide practical tips for keeping various staples fresh, including bananas. According to Kate, the best way to prolong the life of bananas is to peel, slice, and freeze them. This method stops them from going brown or mushy and allows for later use in recipes.
Kate explains: "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." She recommends spreading the slices on a lined tray before freezing to prevent clumping, then transferring them to a resealable freezer bag. These frozen bananas are perfect for making banana ice cream or chocolate peanut butter bites.
Beyond Bananas: Freezing Other Fruits and Vegetables
The same approach can be applied to other fruits and vegetables. Kate suggests that cucumbers can be sliced and frozen to use as ice cubes in drinks, added to smoothies, or blitzed into a refreshing sorbet. Freezing is a versatile way to preserve food and reduce waste.
Kate adds: "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."
Aldi's Commitment to Reducing Food Waste
Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, emphasized the company's dedication to minimizing food waste across its supply chain. "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."
He continued: "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."
The supermarket, recently named the cheapest in the UK in April, conducted research revealing that the average Brit throws away £387 of food annually, and seven out of 10 admit to buying food they know they'll likely discard. This initiative aims to change that by encouraging more effective use of the freezer.
