Frozen food federation builds huge ice wall to highlight food waste problem

Leading names in the frozen food industry have collaborated to raise awareness of food waste at the International Food Exhibition (IFE) 2015.

The companies also sought to raise awareness of the benefits on waste reduction of frozen food by creating a giant wall of ice at the industry showcase, held this week at the Excel centre in London.

The wall was organised by the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), which highlighted statistics showing that the UK wastes 15m tonnes of food each year across the supply chain and in the home – the equivalent of one third of all food purchased by consumers in the country. The organisation claimed that this figure could be “significantly reduced by using freezing to prolong shelf life”.

BFFF chief executive Brian Young said: “The issue of food waste is one that is increasingly important as population growth and other influences bring food security higher and higher on the government agenda.

“Reducing food waste both in the home and in the supply chain is an area where the food industry can really make a big impact – and with something as simple of increasing freezing. We wanted to really get the message across the all the food industry’s decision makers at IFE with a wall of ice as soon as they walk through the door.

“By making more use of frozen we can help to reduce waste at every stage, from surplus crops in the field, to making use of food deemed too ugly for sale in prepared fruit and vegetables, to getting over the fear of the best before date with significantly extended shelf life.”