This week is Food Safety Week and Tandridge District Council is encouraging residents to plan ahead and if necessary freeze food within its use by date.

Research from the Food Standards Agency shows 68% of us have thrown food away in the past month, 36% of whom discarded it because it was out of date.  23% did not have the chance to eat the food before it went off.

The UK wastes seven million tonnes of food each year, costing each household around £470 annually.

The District Council have issued these useful facts and tips:

• Use by dates are the most important date to consider as these relate to food safety. Best before dates are about quality not safety.
• The freezer is like a pause button and you can safely freeze most foods right up to the use by date. You can even cook defrosted meat into a new meal and freeze it to eat on another day.
• While food is kept safe in the freezer, it’s the quality that deteriorates over time, so the FSA recommends eating it within three to six months and checking for any freezing instructions on the packaging.
• Once defrosted, the pause button is off, so defrost food as and when you need it and eat it within 24 hours.

For more information on freezing food safely, visit www.food.gov.uk/useby or follow @foodgov #EatitCookitFreezeit on Twitter for tips and advice throughout Food Safety Week.