964th day of the Tens

Britons, a nation of 'sniff testers' says national fridge audit

The first ‘National Fridge Audit’ by Beko home appliances shows that a staggering 30 million of UK residents admit to having out of date food in their fridge.  Alarmingly, although half of us say we would never serve a guest food that goes out of date, it still means that around 1.2 million potential hosts in Britain would secretly scrape off the mouldy parts and then serve up the rest.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 goes beyond its use-by-date, happy to trust our nose and judgement with a quick ‘sniff test’.  If one goes round to their neighbours for a dinner party at the weekend then beware; two thirds of Brits think that the use by date serves as a guide only.

Old cheese tops the list for the average Brit as the worst offender.  The top ten out of date chilled items in the UK at present comprise the following list: cheese; jar of curry sauce; yogurt; eggs; milk; open can of beans; fruit; bread; meat; fish.

Behind closed doors, over a quarter of Brits cite fridge habits as the cause of arguments with their housemates or partner.  Topics that really tick us off include how we store things, like a half eaten tin of beans left uncovered.

In fact, 1-in-10 Brits say they argue with their partner as to whether they should refrigerate things such as eggs. 

Over half of the people surveyed wrongly believe they should store eggs in the fridge.  Over 40% think they should keep items such as jam, marmalade, honey and ketchup chilled despite the fact that these items can keep when stored at room temperature.

Top 10 things that Brits refrigerate unnecessarily: eggs; jam/marmalade; honey; onions; garlic; bread; potatoes; bananas; dried fruit; 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 not go to a friend’s house for dinner if their fridge looked messy or dirty and more men than women agreed that they would think of their friend as ‘tight’ if they spotted budget brands in the fridge.

Teresa Arbuckle of Beko Plc, who carried out the poll, says: "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."

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.

2012 Masterchef winner, Shelina Permalloo

"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!"

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