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Final Report

Understanding consumer use of the freezer

A quantitative study into consumer attitudes, understanding and behaviour with regards to home-freezing food, store-bought frozen food and use of the freezer in general. Project code: RBC522-001 Research date: September 2009 – January 2010 Date: August 2010

WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change. Document reference: [RBC522-001]

Research undertaken by: Jane Maxey - RED Scientific, Jim Oliver - Proteus Research Ltd

Front cover photography: Frozen food category aisle shot, WRAP WRAP and RED Scientific believe the content of this report to be correct as at the date of writing. However, factors such as prices, levels of recycled content and regulatory requirements are subject to change and users of the report should check with their suppliers to confirm the current situation. In addition, care should be taken in using any of the cost information provided as it is based upon numerous project-specific assumptions (such as scale, location, tender context, etc.). The report does not claim to be exhaustive, nor does it claim to cover all relevant products and specifications available on the market. While steps have been taken to ensure accuracy, WRAP cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. It is the responsibility of the potential user of a material or product to consult with the supplier or manufacturer and ascertain whether a particular product will satisfy their specific requirements. The listing or featuring of a particular product or company does not constitute an endorsement by WRAP and WRAP cannot guarantee the performance of individual products or materials. This material is copyrighted. It may be reproduced free of charge subject to the material being accurate and not used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged. This material must not be used to endorse or used to suggest WRAP’s endorsement of a commercial product or service. For more detail, please refer to WRAP’s Terms & Conditions on its web site: www.wrap.org.uk

Understanding consumer use of the freezer 3

Executive summary The freezer is promoted by the Love Food Hate Waste campaign as part of the suite of solutions to help consumers prevent food waste in the home. This quantitative research into consumer attitudes, understanding and behaviour with regards to home-freezing food, store-bought frozen food and use of the freezer in general has been undertaken to inform the campaign and provide evidence for food industry initiatives to help consumers get more out of their freezers. Through previous WRAP qualitative research, the freezer has been shown as not only a useful aid to help prevent food waste but also a long term storage solution leading to food being forgotten about and potentially thrown away as a result. A three step approach was taken within this study: an omnibus survey to gain preliminary insights into behaviours around freezing food, a bespoke quantitative survey to identify consumer behaviour around freezing and use of the freezer and, for those participating in the quantitative survey, a ‘freezer contents review’. Although it is not possible to quantify the potential food waste saving from optimal freezer usage, given the strong interaction between other key food waste behaviours such as planning, portioning and storage, the freezer can act as a pause button, giving consumers more time to eat the food they buy, rather than having it spoil or pass its ‘use by’ date. The freezer can also enable consumers to take up multi-buys and purchase fresh, short shelf life foods to freeze to eat at another time. It is therefore a key tool to help reduce the 5.3 million tonnes of avoidable household food and drink waste thrown away each year, in particular the 2.9 million tonnes of food and drink that is thrown away completely untouched, or opened/started but not finished; especially bakery, fresh meat and fish (to a lesser extent perhaps) fresh produce and dairy, but also food that has been cooked but not eaten, such as homemade meals. The key consumer insights generated through this study include: People are using their freezers quite frequently; two thirds of respondents are using their freezer daily or most

days. Food is expected to last in the freezer for a relatively long time (e.g. 120 days on average for store-bought

frozen vegetables and 70 days for fresh meat and fish products frozen at home), but many wouldn't eat food beyond the date on the pack because of food safety concerns (which are unfounded).

Most (69%) people have at least a quarter of their freezers empty. 59% believe food should be frozen on the day of purchase, driven by beliefs around food safety (50%),

quality (33%) and on-pack guidance (19%). A third of people wouldn't freeze an unopened pack that they had kept in the fridge for "a few days",

primarily over food safety concerns. 60% wouldn't freeze an opened pack of food that had been in the fridge for "a few days", again primarily due

to safety concerns. Most of what is in people's freezers is either bought frozen food, or food bought chilled / fresh and then

frozen. Freezing of homemade food seems to take place much less frequently. 64% of people rarely cook food with the specific intention of freezing some or all of it. 44% would never freeze excess food that had been cooked but not served. 52% wouldn’t freeze cooked turkey or chicken.

Recommendations Increase use of the snowflake logo on fresh and refrigerated food and/or provide clear instructions e.g.

‘freezable’ to highlight what food can be frozen at home (and how they should be defrosted and cooked; this could include the need to transfer the food or drink to a “suitable container” prior to freezing; or, for example, highlight that, if frozen, texture may change but the food can be used for specific uses – for example, frozen cheese for making sauces).


Increase general awareness of what the snowflake logo means and what can be frozen, for example, by point of sale communication. Tips such as ‘grate and freeze’ on cheese packs could be considered.

Move away from ‘freeze on the day of purchase’ labelling so that on-pack instructions are consistent with FSA guidance and consumers know they can safely freeze unopened and opened packs of food after the purchase date, as long as they’ve been stored correctly and are within their ‘use-by’ or ‘once opened use within x days’ date.

Improve the consistency of instructions about how long food can be kept frozen and, where possible, lengthen this time to give consumers a longer shelf-life.

Sell products to help consumers use their freezer more effectively e.g. freezer labels, pens (so consumers can record the product type and date purchased and/or frozen) and suitable storage containers e.g. to freeze milk, cooking sauces and homemade meals.

Enhance communication to consumers around the benefits of using their freezers more effectively (e.g. saving money through freezing more home cooked foods, either from “batch cooking” or of leftovers), and addressing the barriers that may be preventing some consumers from doing this (such as concerns over the safety of storing food in the freezer for long periods of time, uncertainty around what foods can be frozen, and when food should be frozen).

This research has, therefore, helped us understand not only how we’re using our freezers today, but has given us some very good ideas about how we can make better use of them in the future. Based on the early research findings detailed in this report, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign launched the Great Freezer Expedition in Winter 2009. The Great Freezer Expedition encouraged consumers to explore inside their freezers in the lead up to Christmas, make meals using the food inside them, free up space to fill with festive foods, or homemade dishes for entertaining and famous Christmas leftovers.

There was considerable media interest in this story, with more than 40 radio interviews given, and more than 50 pieces appearing in both national and local press.

There are also examples of how the food industry is supporting WRAPs objectives in this area, such as:

Waitrose producing a free in-store leaflet “Frozen Food: Make the Most of Your Freezer”. Morrisons “Great Taste Less Waste” campaign incorporating freezing advice. Sainsbury’s labelling products such as a divisible two-pack of chilled garlic ciabatta with “one ciabatta ready to

eat, one ciabatta ready to freeze”. Bird’s Eye carrying out research into consumers’ use of the freezer and frozen food, and PR / advertising

aimed at helping to highlight the benefits of better use of the freezer, and addressing food safety concerns. Summary of consumer insights

Frozen food purchasing The largest proportion of food purchased by the survey respondents was generally fresh/refrigerated food, with about a quarter of the shopping basket comprising frozen food1 (Table 2). Ice cream tops the list of most regularly bought frozen food (Figure 8) with about half of shoppers regularly buying ice cream. Chips are the second most often purchased, followed by pizza, mixed vegetables and peas. One in three respondents (38%) said they were ‘often’ or ‘always’ enticed by special offers on frozen food. Half of respondents stated that they rarely or never read the date label on frozen foods though a third said they always or often do this. Thirteen per cent said they would check date labels more (generally) as a result of responding to the survey. The main reason for buying frozen food is that ‘it keeps for a long time’. The second priority is as an emergency measure, with one in three (34%) saying that ‘it’s good to have in case fresh food runs out’.

1 The Family Food and Expenditure Survey, 2008, estimates that around £60bn is spent on food each year. Using data from Kantar Worldpanel, the British Frozen Food Federation puts the expenditure on frozen food at around £5bn (http://www.bfff.co.uk/about-us/statistics/retail). This may well be a result of the relatively large volume of many frozen foods, and differences in cost \ kg.


Freezing fresh or refrigerated food at home Ninety-two per cent of respondents said they regularly freeze fresh or refrigerated food at home. Of those, one in four will freeze food bought on special offer/promotion. The most frequently frozen items according to the households who freeze foods at home are: fresh meat (lamb, beef) by 51% of households; fish and seafood by 37%; breads by 35%; and chicken by 30%.

About half of respondents said they read the labelling on fresh/refrigerated foods to determine what can/can’t be frozen and one in 20 look for the snowflake logo. However, when the whole survey population were shown the snowflake logo only half (54%) recognised it as meaning the item is suitable for freezing (Figure 18). When asked when they would freeze fresh/refrigerated food, the top two answers were ‘on the day of purchase’ (59%) and ‘as soon as possible after they’re bought’ (25%). Respondents stated that the primary reason for their answer was to ensure food safety (50% of the sample). This is interesting, given FSA guidance (Section 1.3) is that food can be frozen up to the ‘use by’ date. Cost and convenience are the major reasons given for freezing fresh or refrigerated foods (Figure 16). The single most often given reason for freezing is ‘it’s a convenient way of having ‘fresh’ food ready to eat’. When asked directly if they would freeze unopened packs of food if they’d been in the fridge ‘a few days’, two out of three households would (65%), but one in three would not. When asked why, 64% stated it was because of concerns about food safety, 31% because of food quality. When asked about packs of food part-consumed and open for a couple of days (and stored in the fridge), only four in ten households would freeze the rest of the pack; the majority would discard the rest of the pack on the grounds of food safety. Ninety per cent did not write additional labels on pre-packed food they freeze at home. The main reasons labelling is not done more is that they claim to know the contents of their freezers and can identify items. Foods considered un-freezable are: eggs by 20% of households; milk by 17%; cheese by 16%; and fruit by 16%. This is not surprising perhaps, given that in the Retailer Survey (Section 1.4) only 24% of milk packs had any freezing instructions, and no packs of cheese or eggs had any freezing instructions (apart from a small proportion that stated ‘do not freeze’). Just thirty-six per cent of households would specifically cook food with the intention of freezing all or part of it. Of those that do, the most popular way of keeping homemade food is in an airtight container (68%) followed by freezer bags (40%), re-using old packaging (28%) and normal plastic bags (18%). The top foods most often cooked with the intention of freezing them are: soup by 53% of respondents who cook to freeze; curry by 45%; casserole by 25%; and bolognese sauce by 19%. Half of households (52%) would not freeze cooked turkey or chicken (Figure 24).

The following percentages said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ did the following: freeze food that was cooked but not served (44%) or freeze food that was cooked and served onto the plate, but not eaten (83%).


How long to keep food frozen Frozen vegetables are kept the longest time at an average of 4 months (122 days), whereas frozen ready meals have the shortest at less than 3 months (78 days). About half the sample stated that they got their information about how long to keep their frozen foods for, by reading pack instructions (Figure 14). With the exception of frozen meat joints, the main reason frozen food wouldn’t be eaten after the length of time they thought it could be kept for, is for quality reasons, followed by concerns about food safety. Home-frozen foods (both store-bought and homemade) are kept for a shorter time than store-bought frozen food. Treatment of vegetables highlights the difference; bought-frozen vegetables spend the longest time in the freezer (four months on average) compared to home-frozen (a significantly lower two months). Homemade frozen food spends the shortest amount of time in the freezer, at just over one month (Figure 25). Concerns about food safety and quality are the major reasons people won’t keep home-frozen food for longer (Tables 4, 7). Interactive freezer use A third of respondents said they used their freezers more than once a day and a third said they used it most days; so interaction with the freezer is high for the majority of respondents. Although a high percentage (74%) agreed with the statement that their freezer is a ‘long term storage solution’ others agreed with the statements that ‘it’s used to stock up on special foods’ (51%) and ‘it’s for daily use’ (51%). As a reflection of this, eight in ten respondents were fairly confident of their freezer contents (Figure 29) and claimed that finding unidentifiable frozen food in their freezer was rare (72% said they rarely or never find food they can’t identify) (Figure 30). During the freezer review, a third of respondents were re-acquainted with food they’d forgotten about but only 45 householders (8%) found food they could not identify at all, a total of 90 items out of the 7,834 individually recorded frozen items (or 1%)2. So, claimed behaviour seems to be accurate; although the problem of remembering what’s in their freezer and identifying the things they find exists, it does so on a small scale. Respondents claimed wastage of frozen food was minimal; 73% claimed they rarely or never regularly discard frozen food (Figure 32). During the freezer review, however, 23% of respondents noted on their form that they discarded some of the food from their freezers. Of those that did admit to throwing food away from their freezer, the top three reasons were: ‘gone off’ (35%), ‘past its food date’ (31%), or that the respondent ‘didn’t like / fancy the look of it’ (22%). Least often cited reasons were ‘freezer burn’ (14%), ‘to make room for other food’ (10%) and ‘unsure of what it is’ (8%). During the freezer review, 7,834 different items3 were found and recorded in the 600 participants’ freezers. The self-audited freezer contents review provides an extrapolated value of UK freezer contents at £860 million4. The overall average of the actual freezer contents is calculated as £34 per household (Figure 34). The top five items found during the review were (Table 8): ice-cream (74%); chicken (misc) (44%); peas (42%); chips (42%); and fruit/vegetables (misc) (36%).

2 Given the sample sizes for the sub-category questions, it has not been possible to comment on whether the food found that participants couldn’t identify was more likely to be home-made or decanted from the original packaging , though you would assume that it is usually the case.

3 Food items refer to each individual pack/product found i.e. 1 food item = 1 pack of sausages, 1 pint milk, ½ pack fish fingers etc…

4 The price of every single food item was recorded (where marked, or calculated from retailer websites. Homemade meals were costed based on ingredient costs from an “average” recipe) so we know the total value of the contents. This was then multiplied by the total number of UK households as the sample was representative of household type and appliance ownership.


Over half the items in UK freezers were bought frozen. Only one in ten items were homemade with the remainder being fresh and refrigerated food frozen at home (Table 9). Most food items in the freezer were still in packaging of some sort; either open or unopened (Table 10). As a result of the review, one in four respondents claimed that they would change their freezer habits; some said they would now check the freezer before shopping (15%), others would check food dates more often (13%) a few said they would be more organised in general (11%) but weren’t specific about what being organised actually meant. Only a third said their freezer is very full after their main shop, most said it is quite full (53%) (Figure 26). Single households had the largest unused freezer capacity; only 25% said they’re full to capacity after the main shop, compared to 38% for households with children and 32% for couples. At the time of the review, the freezer fullness was recorded by the interviewer (Figure 35). What the interviewers found and what respondents claimed (when asked how full their freezers were after the main shop) is very similar (Figure 26), given the cycle of shopping coinciding with the time of interview. Sixty nine per cent of households had at least 25% of their freezer space unused.


Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9

1.1 Background and context to research.......................................................................................9 1.2 Previous research on consumer use of the freezer .................................................................10 1.3 FSA guidance on freezing food and use of the freezer............................................................14 1.4 Guidance on freezing - Summary of Retailer Survey findings ..................................................14 1.5 Project aims and objectives..................................................................................................16

2.0 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................17 2.2 Omnibus study ....................................................................................................................17 2.3 Bespoke quantitative study ..................................................................................................17 2.4 Freezer contents review.......................................................................................................17

3.0 Results - Bespoke quantitative survey................................................................................... 18 3.1 General food shopping behaviour .........................................................................................18 3.2 Frozen food purchasing and use ...........................................................................................20 3.3 Freezing fresh or refrigerated food at home ..........................................................................24 3.4 Freezing homemade meals and leftovers ..............................................................................28 3.5 Freezer management and attitudes.......................................................................................31

4.0 Results - Freezer review ........................................................................................................ 37 5.0 Summary and conclusions...................................................................................................... 41

5.1 Frozen food purchasing........................................................................................................41 5.2 Freezing fresh or refrigerated food at home ..........................................................................41 5.3 How long to keep food frozen ..............................................................................................42 5.4 Interactive freezer use.........................................................................................................42 5.5 Recommendations ...............................................................................................................43 5.6 Communicating to consumers ..............................................................................................43

Appendix 1 Love Food Hate Waste Press Release (November 2009) ................................................ 45 Appendix 2 Results from Omnibus Study........................................................................................... 46 Appendix 3 Bespoke Survey Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 50 Appendix 4 Freezer Review Self-Completion Form............................................................................ 68 Appendix 5 Guidance for Completing the Freezer Review................................................................. 69


1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background and context to research Figures produced by WRAP5 on household food and drink waste show that UK householders are throwing away 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink per year in the UK - most of which (5.3 million tonnes) could have been consumed equating to £12 billion pounds worth of food. We throw food out for two main reasons: we cook or prepare too much, 2.2 million tonnes costing us around £4.8 billion per year; or we let food go off, either completely untouched, or opened/started but not finished, 2.9 million tonnes costing

£6.7 billion per year.

WRAP research has shown there are many factors contributing to household food waste, such as: a lack of planning when food shopping - buying more than is needed; poor food storage in the home; a lack of confidence around cooking (especially making meals from the food available in the house, using

leftovers and portion control); and confusion over food date labels (such as the difference between 'use by' and 'best before') and confidence to

cook or freeze foods that are close to their date. The amount of food we throw away is a major contributor to the production of greenhouse gases in the UK. Therefore, to help reduce the amount of food that is thrown away, WRAP and its partners are running the 'Love Food Hate Waste' (LFHW, www.lovefoodhatewaste.com) consumer facing campaign to encourage behavioural change. WRAP are working with the UK grocery sector, food industry, Government and organisations such as the Food Standards Agency to develop practical solutions and improved communications to make it easier for consumers to get the most from the food they buy and waste less. WRAP's target is to reduce consumer food waste by 250,000 tonnes by March 2011. The Love Food Hate Waste campaign often talks about freezing as a way to reduce the 5.3 million tonnes of avoidable food wasted (Figure 1). Clearly not all avoidable food waste is edible at the point of disposal but using the freezer more effectively/interactively as part of a range of solutions, including planning and storing correctly, could make it easier for consumers to reduce the amount they throw away. Freezing acts as a ‘pause’ button giving consumers more time to eat the food they buy, rather than having it spoil or go past it’s ‘use by’ date. The freezer can also enable consumers to take up multi-buys and purchase fresh, short-shelf life foods to freeze to eat at another time. Using the freezer more effectively could particularly contribute to reducing the 2.9 million tonnes of food and drink that is thrown away completely untouched, or opened/started but not finished; especially bakery, fresh meat and fish (to a lesser extent perhaps) fresh produce and dairy, but also food that has been cooked but not eaten, such as homemade meals. For example, around, 380,000 tonnes of food is thrown away because it has passed a ‘use by’ date, but this waste could have been avoided through checking the date and cooking or freezing the food before the end of the date.

5 Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK, WRAP, November 2009


Figure 1 Proportions of avoidable weight of food and drink waste, split by food group6

Although the freezer forms an important part of the Love Food Hate Waste suite of solutions, WRAP hadn’t undertaken any dedicated research on how consumers were using their freezers. RED Scientific was commissioned to: Ascertain consumer attitudes and behaviours towards freezing and defrosting food - what can be frozen,

when and for how long, how to defrost etc. and identify barriers/myths that prevent consumers making more use of the freezer.

Undertake a review of what is currently in people's freezers and the proportion of pre-prepared refrigerated or fresh, frozen and homemade meals. The aim was to enable the team to quantify, in financial terms, the value of food in people's freezers and provide a strong message for the LFHW campaign.

This report details the project findings in relation to consumer behaviour around freezing food and use of the freezer as a means of identifying intervention points for consumer behaviour change, and draws conclusions from the following research elements which have been carried out: an omnibus survey to gain preliminary insights into behaviours around freezing food; a bespoke quantitative survey to identify consumer behaviour around freezing and use of the freezer; and a review of the contents of the household freezer.

1.2 Previous research on consumer use of the freezer Respondents in focus group research, undertaken in 20077, revealed that undertaking an ad hoc ‘spring clean’ of cupboards, fridges and freezers did occasionally lead to the disposal of old, forgotten or unwanted food products. Further focus group research8 revealed that those with larger freezers were more likely to buy more than they needed in the knowledge that they can freeze it for use another time. Some group members believed that having access to lots of storage space made them ill-disciplined when it came to stock planning generally, including freezing. The researchers hypothesised that this could lead to a lack of knowledge about what is actually in the freezer and products becoming forgotten or unusable. 6 Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK, WRAP, November 2009, Figure 13 (b)

7 Food Behaviour: Consumer Research, WRAP, June 2007

8 Understanding Consumer Food Management Behaviour, WRAP, July 2007


During the qualitative work undertaken to inform this study (unpublished) some respondents reported finding themselves throwing out food simply to make room in their fridge, freezer or cupboard for fresher versions of the same thing. Many people reported throwing food away (either food that had been frozen, defrosted or left in the fridge) because they had simply not eaten it when they intended to. Respondents also stated that they sometimes intended to freeze products – whether surplus meat or leftovers – and then forgot. There seemed to be a psychological barrier in that the ‘window’ between a pack being opened or a meal being cooked and a consumer thinking it is ‘too late’ to put it in the freezer is often shorter than need be. Subsequent quantitative research9 revealed the frequency with which respondents said they forgot about food in their freezer and had to throw it away (base 976) (Figure 2). Twenty per cent of respondents stated that they throw food away from their freezers ‘sometimes’ or ‘a lot’.

Figure 2 Frequency with which respondents forget about food in their freezer and have to throw it away

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In 2008 Bird’s Eye10 undertook research to understand behaviour around frozen food. It found that 85% of respondents significantly underestimated the length of time that frozen food could safely be stored for and half of UK households were estimated to throw away frozen food as a result of not using their freezers correctly. Figure 3 shows the responses to the question posed within the Bird’s Eye research; ‘when should fresh food be frozen?’. Sixty-six per cent of respondents believed that fresh food should be frozen as soon as it is bought. Significantly more older people were found to believe that fresh food should be frozen ‘as soon as it is bought’. Whereas significantly more younger people believed that fresh food should be frozen ‘no later than the best before date’.

9 Food Storage and Packaging, WRAP, August 2007

10 Omnibus survey undertaken by Bird’s Eye, 2008, selected charts available at: http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/FSA_040209_EVENT_-_ADP_afternoon.6adfe8e6.7217.pdf


Figure 3 When should fresh food be frozen (Bird’s Eye research)?

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As soon as they are bought No later than the Sell By date No later than the Best before date Antime as long as it looks ok Don't know When asked to respond to a series of statements about freezers (Figure 4), it is interesting to note that 41% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they ‘sometimes bin food from my freezer because I'm not sure if it is still safe to eat’ with 40% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement that they ‘sometimes bin food from my freezer because I can't remember how long I've had it’. On the other hand, 81% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that ‘my freezer helps me waste less food’. WRAP has undertaken a significant amount of waste compositional analysis, and although it is impossible to quantify the amounts of homemade meals or store-bought refrigerated and fresh food that is frozen at home and thrown away straight from the freezer, further analysis by WRAP of “The Food We Waste in Scotland”11 data (unpublished) suggests that at least 60,000 tonnes of food thrown away was originally purchased frozen, with a value of at least £200 million (both estimates scaled up for the UK). More than four tenths (42%) by weight of the avoidable frozen food waste is made up of vegetables and salads; much of this waste is accounted for by processed potatoes such as chips. More than a fifth (22%) by weight of the avoidable frozen food waste is made up of pre-prepared meals and snacks such as frozen ready-meals, pizzas and burgers. Frozen meat and fish makes up more than a sixth (18%) of the weight. The reasons why consumers disposed of this frozen food could not be determined from the compositional research, but more than a third (37%) by weight of the food waste which was identified as having been purchased frozen was thrown away in unopened or full packs and more than half (53%) was found in packs that had been opened and the contents partially consumed. The remaining tenth was loose and not in its original packaging.

11 http://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/the_food_we_waste_in.html


Figure 4 Statements about freezers (Bird’s Eye research)

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I often think of getting rid of the freezer but never get around to doing it

I sometimes bin food from my freezer because I've bought new food and can't fiteverything in

My freezer always seems full but I don't know what with

I sometimes bin food from my freezer because I'm not sure if it is still safe to eat

I wish I could use my freezer better

I sometimes bin food from my freezer because I can't remember how long I've had it

My freezer is a great source of ideas

There's always something nice to eat in the freezer

If there's nothing in the fridge, there's always something in the freezer

My freezer helps me waste less food

I save money by using my freezer

I just couldn't be without my freezer

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Strongly agree Agree


1.3 FSA guidance on freezing food and use of the freezer The following is taken from the FSA website ‘eatwell’12, and provides useful context to the food safety aspects of freezing food and preparing frozen food. “The freezer is a great tool for making sure you’ve always got some food in stock and for helping to avoid wasting food. You can keep food safely in the freezer for years, in theory, as long as it has stayed frozen the whole time. However, the taste and texture of food changes if it’s frozen for too long, so you might well find that it’s not very nice to eat. “You can check any instructions on food labels or in your freezer’s handbook (if you don’t have this any more, you might be able to find it online) to see how long food should be frozen. “For safety, it's OK to freeze most raw or cooked foods providing you do the following things: freeze it before the 'use by' date follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label thaw it in the fridge so that it doesn't get too warm. Or, if you intend to cook it as soon as it's defrosted, you

could defrost it in a microwave try to use it within one to two days after it’s been defrosted – it will go off in the same way as if it were fresh cook food until it's steaming hot all the way through when frozen meat and fish (and some other foods) thaw, lots of liquid can come out of them. If you’re

defrosting raw meat or fish, this liquid will spread bacteria to any food, plates or surfaces that it touches. Keep the meat and fish in a sealed container at the bottom of the fridge, so that it can't touch or drip onto other foods.

“Always clean plates, utensils, surfaces and hands thoroughly, after they have touched raw or thawing meat, to stop bacteria from spreading. If you defrost raw meat or fish and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again, but remember never reheat foods more than once.” 1.4 Guidance on freezing - Summary of Retailer Survey findings In 2009, a large data collection exercise conducted for WRAP by ESA and Brook Lyndhurst, called the Retailer Survey, was undertaken. The research reviewed pack labels on approximately 10,000 separate products from 19 product categories. Selected findings from the research (unpublished) are given in Table 1. It is interesting to note that for certain products, guidance on whether they were freezable or not is varied e.g. 10% of bacon packs gave no freezing instructions, 50% had the snowflake logo and 2% specifically advised not to freeze. No packs of cheddar cheese suggested they were suitable for freezing, even though grated cheese can be frozen and 11% of packs of mainstream bread and 38% of packs of rolls were found to have no freezing instructions. It is encouraging that 32% of cooking sauce packs had freezing instructions, with 73% of these suggesting that the sauce be frozen in a suitable container. Similar advice was found on 24% of milk packs. It was also found that advice on when the product could be frozen varied e.g. 79% of packs of mainstream bread stated the pack should be frozen on the day of purchase, 18% to freeze as soon as possible. For bread rolls, a similar situation was found (87% and 5% respectively). Once frozen, advice on how long the product could be kept in the freezer also varied e.g. 77% of packs of world bread suggested one month and 6% three months. For mainstream bread, a similar situation was found (28% and 43% respectively) and for bacon (85% and 7% respectively). It is also interesting to note the number of products that apparently gave no advice on how long the product could be kept in the freezer e.g. 24% of chicken packs give no advice on when to freeze or how long to keep the product for.

12 http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/storing/#cat507058


Table 1 Summary of freezing guidance found as part of the Retailer Survey

Refrigerated ready meal Chicken

World bread Bacon

Mainstream sliced bread

Bread rolls

Cooking sauce Milk

Cheddar cheese

Sliced ham Yoghurts

Base # 338 276 709 521 847 620 947 411 699 554 1190

Presence of freezing instructions* - Yes % 100 100 94 90 89 62 32 24 0 0 0

Presence of freezing instructions - No % 0 0 6 10 11 38 68 76 100 100 100 Nature of freezing instructions if given: “Suitable for freezing”/”freezable” % 2 24 NF NF NF 5 NF NF NF 0.3 NF Use of snowflake logo % 75 92 60 50 71 44 6 4 NF NF NF “Do not freeze” % NF NF NF 2 NF NF NF NF 3 12 22 “Freeze on day of purchase” % 99 76 76 96 79 87 26 100 NF NF NF

“Freeze immediately/as soon as possible after purchase” % NF NF 6 NF 18 5 NF NF NF NF NF “Freeze in suitable container” % NF NF NF NF NF NF 73 63 NF NF NF “Use within one month” % 90 76 77 85 28 43 26 37 NF NF NF “Use within three months” % 8 NF 6 7 43 NF NF NF NF NF NF

NF = Not found * This includes any type of freezing instruction e.g. a direct instruction such as ‘freeze on day of purchase’ or use of the snowflake logo


1.5 Project aims and objectives The specific objectives of this research, as stated in the tender document, were to: Provide insights from which to develop new communications messages for use by the Love Food Hate Waste

campaign in order to improve consumer understanding and confidence around freezing and defrosting food, and more generally to exploit the freezer more as a tool to help reduce the amount of food thrown away.

Provide evidence of how consumers are using the freezing and defrosting guidance provided by the food industry and others in order to support work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to clarify existing guidance to industry and ensure its implementation is consistent and communicated clearly to consumers.

Provide evidence to facilitate discussions with the food industry to bring about changes in the retail environment which will support Love Food Hate Waste objectives.

This study specifically addresses detailed questions around consumer behaviour in relation to freezing food and use of the freezer and is grouped under the following three areas: Attitudes and behaviours - In-store: What frozen food do consumers buy, how regularly, do they buy it with the intention of eating it before

their next food shop or to have in stock, how is purchasing affected by promotions? What non-frozen food do consumers buy with the intention of freezing, how is this affected by promotions

(e.g. if they take advantage of a BOGOF, do they think ‘buy one, freeze one’)? Do they look at the food date on-pack when purchasing? Why do they buy frozen food (e.g. to have in stock, before a party/Christmas etc., before a bank holiday,

because its on promotion, quick and easy meal preparation, lasts a long time, easy to store, brand loyalty, freshness, taste, price etc.)?

How do their purchasing habits around frozen food change through the year/seasons? How full their freezer usually is after their main shop?

Attitudes and behaviours - In-home: Do they use/understand the ‘snowflake’ logo to know what fresh and refrigerated food can be frozen? If they buy non-frozen food, when would they freeze it and what informs that view? What is their view on how long you can keep frozen food in the freezer and what informs that view? How do they manage what they have in their freezer i.e. how do they know what’s in their freezer (e.g. do

they use a freezer pen, note on the front of the freezer, look when they want to cook, look after buying new etc.)?

Do they freeze leftovers or cook in bulk and freeze portions for later, what do they put their leftovers in to freeze them (airtight storage container, freezer bag, old container e.g. margarine tub)?

Why would they not freeze leftovers (e.g. because they’re not sure when they’ll still be safe to eat, don’t have appropriate freezable container, don’t have space, don’t know how to defrost safely etc.)?

How do they defrost frozen food (separate into store-bought and homemade), do they find information on-pack useful, do they follow it?

What barriers do they feel exist to using their freezer more (e.g. lack of available space in the freezer), small freezer capacity (i.e. icebox style), concerns over quality, not convenient, not sure how to defrost etc.)?

Why have they thrown frozen food away in the past?


2.0 Methodology 2.1 Introduction There were two main elements to the research; a bespoke quantitative study and a freezer contents review. An omnibus study was also conducted to gain preliminary insights into behaviours around freezing food and into the food in consumers’ freezers. Within the bespoke quantitative study and the initial Omnibus study, sections were developed to focus on freezer management and behaviour over the Christmas period, in order to inform the Winter 2009 LFHW campaign (discussed in Section 1.6). Given the very targeted nature of the ‘Christmas’ sections, certain questions e.g. relating to spending habits over the Christmas season, are not included in this project report but findings relating to freezer use and behaviour are. 2.2 Omnibus study The omnibus study screened 2,033 UK households and identified 1,708 eligible to take part based on those who had responsibility for food purchase. Fieldwork was conducted by phone in late September to early October 2009 and 10 questions were asked of respondents. The data obtained has been weighted to be nationally and demographically representative by gender, region, ethnic background, social and marital status (weighted data shows a sample base of 1,649). Detailed results are given in Appendix 2. 2.3 Bespoke quantitative study A bespoke quantitative study was designed to examine: attitudes and behaviours in-store in relation to the purchase of frozen food and food which is intended to be

frozen at home; attitudes and behaviours at home in relation to how the freezer is used, expectations of how long food can be

frozen for and barriers to using the freezer more; and attitudes and behaviours towards the wastage of frozen food or food that could be frozen.

The fieldwork was conducted during September and October 2009 and comprised 600 face-to-face interviews13 which were representative of the UK by region, household composition, ethnic background and social and marital status. Respondents were the household’s main shopper. The sample was also largely representative14 by type and number of freezer appliances in the household15: 54% had fridge-freezers only; 33% had a freezer and a fridge; 10% had a freezer and a fridge freezer; and 3% had a fridge with an icebox. Detailed results are given in Section 4 of this report and the full survey is given in Appendix 3.

2.4 Freezer contents review As part of the bespoke study the same respondents completed a review of their freezer contents. This recorded the contents of their freezer including the name of each item, how it was frozen (bought frozen or frozen at home), the package type, the quantity, the price and the type of date label. Fridge contents were not recorded. The template form, used for this part of the research is given in Appendix 4. Detailed results are given in Section 5 of this report. Guidance given to respondents on how to complete the review is given in Appendix 5.

13 818 people agreed to participate in the review, but 189 of these were screened out. The screening questionnaire ensured: respondent was the main grocery shopper, was the main person responsible for preparing meals and had completed a main grocery shop in the past 2 weeks.

14 Of 25,000 households surveyed, in 2008, 53% had a separate fridge, 46% had a separate freezer and 63% had a fridge freezer. Source: Mintel White Goods, June 2009

15 Households with absolutely no freezing capacity weren't included.


3.0 Results - Bespoke quantitative survey16 3.1 General food shopping behaviour Regardless of household composition, a weekly main shop was the most common form of food shop amongst the survey population; 53% of households did this (Figure 5). There was little difference between the demographics. Two in ten households preferred to do their main shop every other week. Top-up shopping was also undertaken as part of the routine with 45% regularly top-up shopping 2-3 times a week and 20% top-up shopping more frequently than this.

Figure 5 How often do you normally go to a shop to buy: (a) food when you do a main shop (b) additional top up food?

1 2

9

53

20

12

1

7

13

45

27

41 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Every day Every other day

2-3 times a week

Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Less than monthly

Main shop

Top-up

%

For the majority of respondents, the main shopping trip was a planned event (64% saying always or mostly) (Figure 6). Two in ten (21%) households were undertaking top-up shopping as part of a structured plan of shopping. However, for the majority (76%) top-up shopping was not considered a planned event.

Figure 6 Normally, when you go shopping, to what extent is it planned: (a) main food shop (b) top up food shop?

27

37

17

9 88

13

2825

23

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Always Mostly Sometimes Rarely Never

Main shop

Top-up

%

16 NB: The weighting of data occasionally shows anomalies (e.g. data summing). The word ‘freezer’ has sometimes been used to describe all types of appliance (fridge-freezers, chest freezers etc.). Charts sometimes show data split by household (HH) type i.e. with dependent children, married/cohabiting without children, single and others. Other data splits were investigated but this was the most meaningful.


Almost 9 in 10 households did their main shop at a large supermarket (Figure 7). Top up shopping was more frequently done at smaller outlets such as small supermarkets or independents, though large supermarkets were also frequently used for top-up shopping.

Figure 7 Normally, where do you go to: (a) do a main food shop (b) do top up food shopping?

85

94 4 5 5

3745

22

2

149

0102030405060708090

Large supermarket Small supermarket Independent supermarket

Internet Independent butcher, green

grocer etc.

Market stalls

Main shop

Top-up

%

Although a variety of reasons were given for what prompts people to go food shopping, the most often cited reason, by 30%, is simply ‘when food runs out’, followed by 22% saying ‘when food runs low’. Responses indicate that the largest proportion of food purchased is generally fresh/refrigerated food (Table 217). The remainder of the shopping basket is usually quite evenly split between frozen and dry/ambient foods. An ‘average’ UK main shopping trip is likely to be divided; 47% fresh/refrigerated foods, 24% frozen and 29% dry/ambient.

Table 2 Thinking about the main shop, roughly what proportion is usually fresh/refrigerated, frozen, dry/ambient? Basket contains… Fresh/refrigerated Frozen Dry/ambient Up to 25% 15% 65% 50% 26% to 50% 49% 30% 44% 51% to 75% 26% 5% 5% 76% or more 9% 0 1%

17 This question was a difficult one to ask and to answer. It was left open as to whether the respondents wanted to answer in terms of volume or spend. The table shows the actual bands used in the questionnaire.


3.2 Frozen food purchasing and use Ice cream tops the list of most regularly bought frozen food (Figure 8). About half of shoppers regularly buy ice cream. Chips are the second most often purchased, followed by pizza, mixed vegetables and peas. Almost one in five respondents said they regularly bought frozen fish or fish fingers, whilst just one in 10 people said they regularly buy frozen meat and meat products.

Figure 8 What frozen foods do you regularly buy?

48

35

34

33

28

19

18

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

5

5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Ice Cream

Chips

Pizzas

Vegetables

Peas

Fish

Fish Fingers

Chicken

Misc Vegetables

Burgers

Meat

Sausages

Prawns

Ready Meals

Sweetcorn

Minced Meat

%

Special offers would seem to have a significant effect on frozen food shopping behaviour; one in three respondents (38%) said they were ‘often’ or ‘always’ enticed by special offers on frozen food (Figure 9). Ice cream and pizzas were most often mentioned as foods bought regularly on special offer.

Figure 9 How often do you buy frozen food as a result of it being on special offer or as part of a special promotion?

12

26

38

15

9

05

10152025303540

Always (1) Often (2) Sometimes (3) Rarely (4) Never (5)

%

Longevity appears to drive frozen food purchasing; with almost half of shoppers (47%) saying the main reason for buying frozen food is that ‘it keeps for a long time’. The second priority is as an emergency measure, with one in three (34%) saying that ‘it’s good to have in case fresh food runs out’. The third most often given reason (28%) is that ‘it’s quicker to cook when don’t have sufficient time’. Less often mentioned was the ‘value for money/cheapness’ compared to fresh or refrigerated food (26%). These are the top four most often given reasons and stand out above all others. The fifth reason was cited by only 14% of the sample ‘I can use it a bit at a time’.


Preference for fresh food and a perceived lack of freezer space limit the appeal of buying more frozen food (Figure 10). One third (32%) of respondents stated that they have insufficient freezer space to enable them to buy more frozen food or freeze more store-bought/homemade meals, while 70% gave a reason regarding the quality or taste of frozen food generally or in comparison to fresh foods. Only a small number of people (13%) said that there’s nothing that stops them buying more frozen food.

Figure 10 What, if anything, puts you off buying more frozen food?

32

29

27

14

13

9

4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Don't have room in my freezer

Prefer to buy fresh foods (nutrition / quality)

Prefer to buy fresh foods (taste)

Concerned about food quality

Nothing stops me buying more frozen food

Forget to take it out of the freezer in time

Concerned about food safety (e.g. how to defrost / cook from frozen)

%

Behaviour is split evenly between those who say their habits towards buying frozen foods are consistent throughout the year, compared to those who vary them. Reasons for varying are greatest in households with children and in response to the holiday season or ‘occasions’ such as Christmas, when food management needs to be more flexible to accommodate disrupting routines (Figure 11).

Figure 11 Would you say your habits of buying frozen foods are: (a) usually consistent through the year or (b) vary according to certain situations? In what circumstances do your purchasing habits for frozen foods change?

50

50

33

46

42

43

39

32

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Habits CONSISTENT thru year

Habits VARY accordingly

In preparing for holidays

In preparing for Christmas

If preparing for a party

If I'm expecting friends and family

If lots of offers in-store

When the seasons change, i.e. buy more in the

summer

%

The survey asked whether respondents generally looked at the date label on frozen food when shopping. Half of respondents stated that they rarely or never read the date label on frozen foods though a third said they always or often do this. When compared against responses to the question on proportion of the shopping basket that is


usually fresh/refrigerated, frozen, dry/ambient (Table 2), those regularly buying more/greater amounts of frozen food were more likely to read dates18. Responses show that store-bought frozen foods are, in general, kept in the freezer longer than home-frozen foods (both home-frozen store-bought refrigerated or fresh foods and homemade meals) (Figure 12). Frozen vegetables are kept the longest at an average of 4 months (122 days), whereas frozen ready meals have the shortest at less than 3 months (78 days).

Figure 12 How long do you generally keep these types of food?

122

106

85

82

100

78

69

71

65

57

52

43

45

52

49

49

43

0 30 60 90 120 150

frozen vegfrozen snack

frozen bakeryfrozen meat joints

frozen dessertsfrozen ready meals

vegmeat/fish

ready mealbakery

dairy

cooked meat/fishmeat/fish dishes

veg dishesdessert dishesbakery dishes

cheese-based dishes

Average Days

Bought f rozen

Home f rozen

Home made

In the Retailer Survey (mentioned in Section 1.4), the only frozen food included was a frozen cottage pie. Of the 99 products found, 79% suggested they be kept for the length of time according to the star rating (an example is given in Figure 13), 11% stated that they should not be kept after their best before date and 1% stated they be kept for one month.

Figure 13 Storage instructions found on a frozen ready meal

About half of the sample stated that they got their information about how long to keep their frozen foods by reading pack instructions (Figure 14). Those who prefer to judge for themselves claim their knowledge is ‘just general’, or ‘handed on by family and friends’. Two in ten people don’t know where they get their knowledge from. The same proportion judge whether or not to eat the food by looking at it.

18 Taken from those who say ‘never look at date’, sample divided by <25% basket has frozen/more than 25%. This shows a statistical difference.

Base: those who have these foods


Figure 14 How do you know how long to keep frozen food in your freezer?

49

30

16

7

3

16

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

I read the instructions on the packet

Just general knowledge (handed down / friends and

family tell me)

From looking at it, to see if it's still OK

My freezer has instructions on it

I get information from reading / the internet

Don't know

%

Just under one third of the sample understood that the star rating instruction is related to how long food can be stored according to the type of freezer they own/where in the freezer they store it. Half had some idea that it’s related to freezing food but could not be more specific than that (Figure 15). This is surprising given it is the most common form of indicating when to eat frozen food.

Figure 15 Recognition of Freezer Star Rating Information on Food

With the exception of frozen meat joints, the main reason frozen food wouldn’t be eaten after the length of time they thought it could be kept for, is for quality reasons, followed by concerns about food safety (Table 3). For all frozen food, the instructions given on the pack are also used by respondents.

Table 3 Why wouldn’t you eat these frozen foods after this point? Top 3 mentions Frozen veg Frozen

snacks Frozen bakery

Frozen meat joints

Frozen desserts

Frozen ready meals

Concern food quality 50% 50% 51% 38% 47% 45% Concern food safety 35% 37% 36% 56% 40% 43% Pack instructions 16% 14% 15% 15% 13% 18%

31

25

22

14

6

3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Length of time to keep frozen food/best before DEPENDING on freezer rating

Freezing instructions/ in general

Length of time keep frozen food in general

Don’t know/unsure

Temperatures to freeze to ensure quality/longevity

Freezing temperatures

%


3.3 Freezing fresh or refrigerated food at home

Ninety-two per cent of respondents said they regularly freeze fresh or refrigerated food at home. Of those, one in four will freeze excess food bought on special offer/promotion. The most often frozen items according to the households who do it are: fresh meat (lamb, beef) by 51% of households; fish and seafood by 37%; breads by 35%; chicken by 30%; and minced meat by 10% and sausages by 8%. Foods considered un-freezable are: eggs by 20% of households; milk by 17%; cheese by 16%; and fruit by 16%. Cost and convenience are the major reasons given for freezing fresh or refrigerated foods (Figure 16). The single most often given reason for freezing is ‘it’s a convenient way of having ‘fresh’ food ready to eat’. However, value for money considerations e.g. buying on promotion, buying bigger packs and taking advantage of price reductions, cumulatively are the most common reason for buying fresh or refrigerated foods to freeze at home. Fifteen per cent of people stated that they were actively using the freezer to manage food purchases as their plans change, avoiding waste and getting the most out of what they’ve bought.

Figure 16 Why do you freeze store-bought fresh or refrigerated foods?

34

25

20

20

19

15

11

9

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Convenient way to have fresh food ready to defrost / cook

To take advantage of promotions / multi-buy offers ('buy-one-get-one')

To enable me to buy bigger packs and divide them up (value for money)

To enable me to buy bigger packs and divide them up

To take advantage of price reductions

When my plans change, I freeze food that I thought I'd eat

To take advantage of "marked down" food (sold close to its sell-by date)

Better quality than frozen food

%

Of the small number of people (8%) who say they don’t freeze fresh food the main reasons are: prefer to eat fresh (44%); don’t need to as plan ahead (33%); doesn’t taste good (25%); insufficient freezer space (13%); and alters texture (13%).


About half of respondents said they read the labelling on fresh/refrigerated foods to determine what can/can’t be frozen and one in 20 look for the snowflake logo. The rest rely on their general knowledge or ‘experiment’ (Figure 17).

Figure 17 How do you know what fresh or refrigerated foods you can freeze?

47

45

21

6

3

1

0 10 20 30 40 50

I read the instructions on the packet if there

is one


family tell me)

Don't know / just put things in the freezer

anyway

I look for the snowflake logo on the

pack



%

When shown the snowflake logo only half (54%) recognised it as meaning the item is suitable for freezing (Figure 18).

Figure 18 Recognition of snowflake logo

54

13

13

4

4

3

3

3

2

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Item can be frozen/suitable for freezing

Item should be kept frozen

Don’t know

Associated with the freezer/efficiency/rating

Other

Defrosting symbol

Item can be frozen for specific time

Something to do with freezing

A snowflake

Frost symbol

An ice symbol

%

Respondents were asked when refrigerated or fresh store-bought foods should be frozen. The top two answers were ‘on the day of purchase’ (59%) and ‘as soon as possible after they’re bought’ (25%). AB households were less likely to freeze on the day of purchase, considering as soon as possible is adequate. Respondents stated that the reason for their answer was to ensure food safety (50% of the sample), food quality (33% of the sample) and lastly because the pack instructions tell them to (19%). When asked directly if they would freeze unopened packs of food if they’d been in the fridge ‘a few days’, two out of three households would (65%), but one in three would not (potentially driving food waste). When asked why, 64% stated it was because of concerns about food safety, 31% because of food quality. Women were more safety conscious, men were more quality conscious.


Those who stated that food should be frozen on the day of purchase or as soon as possible after purchase are more likely to discard unopened packs of food that have been in the fridge ‘for a few days’. Only 6 in 10 would freeze them compared to 8 in 10 who had a more relaxed attitude to the length of time food is kept refrigerated. When asked about packs of food which had been part consumed and open for a couple of days (and stored in the fridge); only four in ten households would freeze the rest of the pack, the majority would discard the rest of the pack on the grounds of food safety; 74% (and particularly AB households) said concerns over food safety is the primary reason for discarding packs of opened food (Figure 19).

Figure 19 Why do you not freeze food that has been opened for a few days in the fridge?

73

24

11

7

4

2

1

0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Concerned about food safety

Concerned about quality

Probably won't get eaten

Instructions on pack normally say "freeze on day of purchase"

Not enough left to make it worthwhile / not enough for another meal

Can't be frozen

Too much effort

Don't have anything to freeze the food in (container)

%

Most food that has been frozen from fresh is likely to spend significantly less time in the freezer than foods bought frozen (Figure 20). Treatment of vegetables highlights the difference; bought-frozen vegetables spend the longest time in the freezer (four months on average) compared to home-frozen (a significantly lower two months). There are exceptions, however; frozen ready meals are kept only marginally longer than those bought as chilled. Desserts are another food type that stands out; they are one of the top three longest kept items when bought frozen (100 days on average) but only spend half that time in the freezer if they’re homemade. This is likely to reflect the different types of dessert products; store-bought frozen desserts are dominated by ice-cream but homemade desserts are likely to be foods such as pies and crumbles.

Figure 20 How long after you’ve frozen refrigerated or fresh food, would you eat it?

122

106

85

82

100

78

69

71

65

57

52

43

45

52

49

49

43

0 30 60 90 120 150




vegmeat/fish

ready mealbakery

dairy



cheese-based dishes

Average Days

Bought f rozen

Home f rozen

Home made

Concerns about food safety and quality are the major reasons people won’t keep home-frozen store-bought food for longer (Table 4). Unsurprisingly, safety is the main driver particularly for dairy products, meat and fish and


ready meals while food quality is slightly more often given for bakery and vegetable products (though food safety is also thought to be a key consideration for these products).

Table 4 Why wouldn’t you eat home-frozen fresh or refrigerated foods after this point?

Top 3 mentions ‘Fresh’ veg ‘Fresh’ meat/fish

‘Fresh’ Ready Meals

‘Fresh’ bakery

‘Fresh’ dairy

Concern food quality 48% 38% 40% 46% 34% Concern food safety 45% 61% 47% 41% 54% Pack instructions 8% 7% 12% 6% 8%

Looking again at the Retailer Survey data (mentioned in Section 1.4, Table 5), it would seem that respondents are keeping fresh and refrigerated food they’ve frozen themselves for longer than the majority of guidance given on the packaging. The surprising factor here is mainstream bread, which is more likely to suggest it can remain frozen for three months, yet respondents were saying they would keep bread in their freezer for less than two months on average.

Table 5 Storage instructions found on products through the Retailer Survey

Chilled ready meal Chicken

Mainstream sliced bread Milk

Base # 338 276 847 411 Use within one month % 90 76 28 37 Use within three months % 8 Not found 43 Not found

Knowledge about how to defrost home-frozen fresh or refrigerated food mainly comes from general knowledge (51%), with 38% of respondents stating they will use pack instructions where possible (Figure 21). One in five check to see if the product is soft.

Figure 21 How do you know how to defrost the things you freeze?

51

38

22

5

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60


family tell me)

I read the instructions on the packet if there is one

Just leave it until it's soft / not frozen anymore

I make sure I cook it thoroughly



%


Forty-six per cent of people are defrosting their food in the fridge; 45% on a work surface and just 14% in a microwave (Figure 22). The length of time things are defrosted for (over night or during the day) may simply reflect which meal occasion or food type is being defrosted.

Figure 22 If you’re planning to cook something you’ve frozen yourself, when do you normally take it out of the freezer?

31

24

21

15

14

5

0 10 20 30 40

Night before, leave it in the fridge

Morning before, leave it on the kitchen surface

Night before, leave it on the kitchen surface

Morning before, leave it in the fridge

Defrost it in the microwave just before I need it

Cook from frozen

%

3.4 Freezing homemade meals and leftovers Making food with the intention of freezing some or all of it, is not a popular habit; sixty four percent of the sample said they rarely or never cook food and then freeze it. The following percentages said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ did the following; making more food with the intention of eating some and freezing some (41%), make food specifically to be frozen (62%), freeze food that was cooked but not served (44%) and 83% said they rarely or never freeze food that was cooked and served onto the plate. Figure 23 shows the mean scores of those agreeing with four statements about freezing homemade meals that they were shown. The mean score ‘below the mid-point 3’ means they are not common behaviours. For those that do freeze homemade meals it is likely to be excess food from a meal that is then frozen (except plate leftovers) rather than specifically cooking food for the freezer.

Figure 23 When cooking or preparing food, do you do any of the following? (mean scores shown)

3.25

3.88

3.49

4.43

1

2

3

4

5

make more to eat and freezemake food spefically to be

frozen freeze pan leftovers freeze plate leftoversAlways

Never

Often

Sometimes

Rarely


The main reasons that respondents gave for not freezing homemade food are shown in Table 6. Leftovers are more likely to go into the fridge than the freezer. Just over a fifth of respondents stated that they didn’t freeze homemade food because of concerns about food safety. Another common reason given was concerns about food quality; where freshly cooked foods are thought to taste better than re-heated meals.

Table 6 Why don’t you freeze much homemade food?

Top mentions Those who rarely/never make extra food to freeze

Those who rarely/never freeze food cooked but not

served Prefer to eat fresh 34% 18% Goes in fridge to be eaten later 27% 42% Insufficient freezer space 11% 8% Concern about food safety 10% 15%

Thirty-six per cent of households would specifically cook food with the intention of freezing all or part of it. The most popular way of keeping homemade food is in an airtight container (68%) followed by freezer bags (40%), re-using old packaging (28%) and normal plastic bags (18%). The top five foods most often cooked with the intention of freezing them are: soup by 53% of respondents who cook to freeze; curry by 45%; casserole by 25%; bolognese sauce by 19%; and rice dishes by 18%.

In the Omnibus, respondents were asked about whether they would freeze traditional Christmas food items (cranberry sauce, bread sauce and Christmas pudding), and the proportion that would consider freezing these is surprisingly low. Half of households (52%), for example, would not freeze cooked turkey or chicken (Figure 24).

Figure 24 Would you freeze the following foods? (% saying yes)

86 83

48

2218 18 17

13 12 9 9

0102030405060708090

100

Freshbread

Freshbacon andsausages

Cookedturkey orchicken

M ashedpotato

Cookedroast

potatoes

Stilton andcheddar

Christmaspudding

Cream Christmascake

Cranberrysauce

Breadsauce

%


Homemade frozen food spends the shortest amount of time in the freezer, at just over one month (Figure 25). The difference between homemade food types is also less than with home frozen and bought frozen. Vegetable based dishes are likely to spend less than two months frozen, compared to four months for those bought frozen. Cooked meat/fish spend about six weeks frozen compared to home frozen meat/fish (from fresh) at ten weeks.

Figure 25 How long after you’ve frozen homemade food, would you eat it?

122

106

85

82

100

78

69

71

65

57

52

43

45

52

49

49

43

0 30 60 90 120 150




vegmeat/fish

ready mealbakery

dairy



cheese-based dishes

Average Days

Bought f rozen

Home f rozen

Home made

Concerns about food safety is the major reason given for not keeping cooked meat and fish and cheese dishes longer, whereas consideration for food quality is slightly more likely to be the reason for not keeping vegetable dishes, desserts and bakery longer (Table 7).

Table 7 Why wouldn’t you eat these foods after this point? Top mentions Cooked

meat/fish pieces

Homemade meat/fish

dishes

Homemade veg dishes

Homemade desserts

Homemade bakery

Homemade cheese dishes

Concern food safety 57% 53% 43% 42% 42% 54% Concern food quality 49% 52% 56% 59% 58% 49%

The majority of respondents said they used their own judgement to know how long to store homemade frozen foods for; 65% said they rely on their general knowledge. The second most often mentioned method is from simply looking at it/smelling it (24%). Very few actually look for other sources of information. General knowledge again is relied upon to know for how long to defrost homemade foods (64% relying on this), followed by 26% who say they’ll know it’s defrosted when it ‘goes soft’ or no longer appears frozen. Defrosting is left to ‘natural’ lengths of time (whether in the fridge or out on a surface) and rarely is a microwave used or items cooked from frozen. Forty-five per cent of respondents preferred defrosting in a fridge, 41% left out on a surface, 17% in a microwave and five per cent stated that they would cook directly from frozen.


3.5 Freezer management and attitudes Fifty-five per cent of the sample had a combined fridge-freezer, 33% had a separate freezer and fridge, 10% had a separate freezer and a fridge-freezer, and 3% had a fridge with icebox. A third of respondents said they used their freezers more than once a day, a third said they used it most days; so interaction with the freezer is high for the majority of respondents. Only a third said their freezer is very full after their main shop, most said it is quite full (53%) (Figure 26). Single households had the largest unused freezer capacity; only 25% said they’re full to capacity after the main shop, compared to 38% for households with children and 32% for couples.

Figure 26 How full is your freezer after your main shop?

33

53

14

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Very full (never have enough space to store more things)

Quite full (usually have enough space)

Nearly empty (always have enough space)

%

Respondents to the Omnibus, on average, stated that they thought their freezer would have enough food in it to provide meals for their household for 11 days (Figure 27). Over two in 10 households claimed they could survive on the contents of their freezer for over two weeks. However, data collected through the freezer review (Section 5) suggests19 this is an over estimate.

Figure 27 If you had to eat all your main meals from your current freezer contents, how long could you manage?

19 On average 13 items were found per freezer at the review. The average household size was 2.25 people. As these 13 items were a mix of food types and not all main meals the project team concluded this amount of food couldn’t sustain a household for 11 days.

2 2

14

29 29

22

2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

I couldn't 1 day Up to 3 days Up to a week Up to twoweeks

Longer than 2 weeks

Don't know

%


In the Omnibus, the respondents were asked to list the items they thought they had in their freezer (from memory (Figure 28). Fish or meat products are the most often cited items in the freezer (91%). Other items were also cited as follows: Vegetables are in 8 in 10 household freezers. Desserts and ready meals are in 6 in 10 household freezers. Bread/rolls are in 6 in 10 household freezers. Homemade food exists in less than half of UK freezers20.

Figure 28 Which of the following foods do you have (from memory) in your freezer at the moment?

Eight in ten respondents were fairly confident of their freezer contents21 (Figure 29) and claimed that finding unidentifiable frozen food in their freezer was rare (72% said they rarely or never find food they can’t identify) (Figure 30). Findings are very similar to the Omnibus data (shown in brackets) (Figures 29, 30). During the freezer review, only 8% of households found food they could not identify. So, claimed behaviour seems to be accurate; although the problem of identification exists, it does so on a small scale.

Figure 29 Do you know what’s in your freezer without looking?

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60

18

2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Yes, absolutely Yes, pretty sure of most of the contents

Not really, I look in it to find out

No idea

%

(20)

(69)

(9)

(1)

20 At the review 40% of freezers were found with at least one item of home-made food, similar to omnibus findings.

21 This is a somewhat over confident claim, as a third of them discovered items they didn’t know they had during the freezer review (Section 5).

91 81

64 62 58

45

16

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

fish/meat vegetables dessert readymeals/pizza

bread/rolls homemade meals/cooked

foods

soups/sauces

%


Figure 30 How often do you find things in your freezer that you don’t recognise/remember what they are?

2

5

22

41

31

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

always (1)

often (2)

soemtimes (3)

rarely (4)

never (5)

%

(1)

(3)

(19)

(50)

(27) Six in ten respondents claimed to have some way of organising their freezer; 22% said they always organise their freezers whereas 36% said they try to if they have the space. Organisation usually means storing similar food types together. Forty-two per cent said they had no system and would store things anywhere they would fit in their freezer. Ninety per cent did not write additional labels on pre-packed food they freeze at home and 70% wouldn’t do this for homemade meals either. The main reasons labelling is not done are that they claim to know the contents of their freezers and can identify items or they don’t have time. Regardless of whether a household organises its freezer or not and regardless of how regularly the freezer is used, the same percentage of respondents found food they either weren’t able to identify or didn’t remember they had in there (according to data collected at the freezer review) (Figure 31).

Figure 31 How often do you find things in your freezer that you can’t identify or didn’t remember were in your freezer (1) by those stating they organise their freezer/don’t organise and (2) by claimed frequency of use

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

Total At least oncea day

Most days Couple ofdays a week

Once a week Once or twicea month

Organisefreezer

NOT organisefreezer

% f

indi

ng f

ood

they

cou

ldn'

t id

entif

y /

rem

embe

r


Respondents claimed wastage of frozen food was minimal; 73% claimed they rarely or never regularly discard frozen food (Figure 32). During the freezer review, 23% of respondents noted on their form that they discarded some of the food from their freezers.

Figure 32 How often do you throw food away from your freezer (excluding as a result of an unplanned defrost, for example, caused by a power cut)

1

4

23

51

22

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

always (1)

often (2)

sometimes (3)

rarely (4)

never (5)

%

The mean scores show the order of reasons for discarding frozen food (Figure 33). The top three reasons (those answering ‘always or often’ i.e. score 1 or 2) are as follows: ‘gone off’ (35%), ‘past its food date’ (31%), or that the respondent ‘didn’t like fancy the look of it’ (22%). Least often cited reasons are ‘freezer burn’ (14%), ‘to make room for other food’ (10%) and ‘unsure of what it is’ (8%).

Figure 33 How often do you throw food away from your freezer as a result of one of these reasons? (mean scores shown)

3.08 3.133.32

3.51 3.55 3.65 3.703.85 3.93

4.22

1

2

3

4

5

gone off past datedon’t fancy

the look general tidy

unsure how long been

in defrosting

freezer leakedfreezer burn make room

unsure what it is

Always

Never

Often

Sometimes

Rarely


Figure 34 shows the order in which people agree with certain attitude statements according to the mean score. The high percentage (74%) of those agreeing (i.e. answer 5 or 4) indicates the freezer is most often viewed as a ‘long term storage solution’. This is followed by ‘it’s used to stock up on special foods’ (51%) and ‘it’s for daily use’ (51%). Over a third of respondents (37%) agreed that they ‘don’t use it much as they prefer to eat fresh’. Very few agree (9%) that the freezer is an inconvenience that ‘they can’t face sorting out’.

Figure 34 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements that others have made about their freezer? (mean scores shown)

At the time of the review, the freezer fullness was recorded by the interviewer (Figure 35). What the interviewers found and what respondents claimed (when asked how full their freezers were after the main shop) is very similar (Figure 26), given the cycle of shopping coinciding with the time of interview. Sixty nine per cent of households had at least 25% of their freezer space unused. Sixty-four per cent of households had freezers that were three-quarters or more full. Of those observed at the review to have a freezer three-quarters or more than three-quarters full, their main incentive for increased freezer usage was a bigger freezer (Figure 36). Respondents with full freezers also wanted better designed storage space. Eighteen per cent of the sample were observed to have freezers less than half full (Figure 35). These people were least likely to want to increase their freezer usage; a third said they didn’t want to, and among the remainder there’s no one clear incentive. Overall, one in four respondents had no desire to use the freezer more than they do (Figure 36).

Figure 35 Observed freezer capacity

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No space Not quite full Three quarters Half Less than half

%

1.62 1.85

3.113.36 3.41

3.96

1

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3

4

5

never think to look in it cant face sorting it out don’t use much/prefer fresh

daily use stock special foods long term storage

Agree Strongly

Disagree Strongly


Figure 36 What would encourage you to use your freezer more?

29

26

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9

6

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Bigger freezer

Don't want to use it more

Better design such as deeper drawers

Clearer information on packaging of chilled / fresh foods about what can be frozen and for how long

Better freezable storage containers

Smaller packs / foods too big to store

%


4.0 Results - Freezer review During the freezer review, 7,834 different items22 were found and recorded in the 600 participants’ freezers. The self-audited freezer contents review provides an extrapolated value of UK freezer contents at £860 million23. Households with both a freezer and fridge-freezer had the highest average number of frozen items (18), compared to those with just a fridge-freezer who had just ten. Households with children had 17 compared to single occupancy households who had ten. Respondents were asked to record detailed product information relating to the contents of their freezers (see Appendix 3). This detailed compilation of freezer contents information allowed an accurate calculation of value to be made. Given the study is a snapshot in time, what isn’t known is whether this content value fluctuates throughout the year. The breakdown of the actual audited freezer content value by lifestage is given in Figure 37. The overall average is calculated as £34.

Figure 37 Actual audited freezer content value

£33.43

£43.06

£34.92

£24.73

£32.05

05

101520253035404550

TOTAL HH with kids HH w/o kids Singles Other

Average £

It is interesting to note the difference between perceived value (which was asked in the Omnibus study) and actual audited value. When asked the question ‘cold’, respondents claimed their freezer contents were worth £75 (average across the sample) (Figure 38).

Figure 38 Estimates of the value of freezer contents

05

10152025

3035

Less than£10

£10-£20 £21-40 £41-60 £61-80 £8-100 £100+

%

Freezer review Omnibus (from memory)




Although there were a wide variety of food items found in the review, the top 20 are listed as in Table 8.

Table 8 Top 20 items in UK freezers Ice cream 74% Bread loaf 29% Chicken (misc) 44% Fish 27% Peas 42% Chicken breast 27% Chips 42% Ice cubes 27% Fruit/veg (misc) 36% Soup 19% Pizza 34% Beans 15% Sausages (unspec) 33% Sweetcorn 15% Mixed Veg 32% Ice lollies 15% Bread (non loaf) 31% Prawns 14% Fish fingers 30% Fish fillets 14%

Over half the items in UK freezers were bought frozen. Only one in ten items were homemade with the remainder being fresh and refrigerated food frozen at home (Table 9). Most food items in the freezer were still in packaging of some sort; either open or unopened (Table 10). Table 9 How food in the freezer has been frozen % of total bought frozen 54% bought unfrozen/frozen at home 36% homemade then frozen 10%

Table 10 Package type of frozen food Package Type % of total still in original UNOPENED pack 42% in original OPENED pack 38% bought loose/other container 8% homemade/other container 11%

Through the review, a third of respondents were re-acquainted with food they’d forgotten about (respondents were not asked to record what the items were). Single occupancy households found unexpected food less often (28%) than households with children (37%) and couples (36%), though this could be in part because generally they had fewer items in their freezers. Discovery rates for forgotten food were similar regardless of how intensive the respondents’ freezer usage was or whether they had a system of organisation. Only 45 householders (8%) found food they could not identify at all, a total of 90 items out of the 7,834 individually recorded frozen items (or 1%). Households with children found the most items they couldn’t identify. Most (8 in 10 of all respondents) had been fairly confident of their freezer contents (Figure 29).


During the freezer review, 23% of respondents noted on their form that they discarded some of the food from their freezers. Households with children were slightly more likely to discard food than other household types (Figure 39). The top 5 discarded foods (as a % of all discarded); vegetables constituted 32% of all items, then bread (13%), chicken (11%), sausages (10%) and fish (9%). Figure 39 Percentage of households discarding food

23

28

24

1918

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

TOTAL HH with kids HH w/o kids Singles Other

%

To identify types of behaviour that leads to wastage the sample was divided into two groups; those who discarded food at the review vs. those who didn’t. There were some interesting statistically significant differences between these two groups, although there was no clustering of demographic types (household, socio-economic, gender or region). Those who discarded food were: More likely to buy frozen food on special offers and promotions. Less likely to look at date labels when purchasing foods. To compound this problem the group appeared to

have lower levels of confidence in their own abilities to judge how long foods could be stored for. Most concerned over food quality and safety combined with a general lack of experience, which led them to

believe that food needed to be frozen on the day of purchase, because the pack instructions say so and they were concerned about quality. They were much less likely to freeze unopened packs that had been left in the fridge for a couple of days for the same fears over quality and safety.

Most likely to claim to have fuller freezers after their main shop but they were also less aware what was in their freezer without looking in it, and consequently were more likely to find items in their freezer that they didn’t recognise or had forgotten they had. They were also more likely to freeze food in plastic bags without labelling.

Most likely to admit that they often discard food from their freezers because of freezer burn, when defrosting, having a general tidying up, in order to make room for other food or because they were unsure of how long it had been in there.

Those who self-assessed themselves to either ‘always, often or sometimes discard frozen food’ (28%, Figure 32), claimed the primary reason was that food had gone past its best before date (Table 11). This reason is the biggest difference between those who always/often/sometimes discard frozen food and those who claim to rarely discard frozen food. The second reason given was that food had ‘gone off’, followed by ‘generally tidying up the freezer’.


Table 11 Percentage of households discarding food

MEAN SCORES* always/often/sometimes

discard rarely

discard difference Gone past its food date (e.g. best-before date) 2.57 3.44 -0.87

Food's gone off 2.64 3.31 -0.67 On a general tidy-up of the freezer contents 3.03 3.78 -0.75

Don't fancy it/like the look of it 3.04 3.47 -0.43 Unsure of how long it's been in the freezer 3.19 3.74 -0.55

As part of defrosting the freezer 3.39 3.79 -0.4 To make room for other food 3.41 4.21 -0.8 Has been leaked onto/leaked 3.42 3.86 -0.44

Has freezer burn 3.57 4 -0.43 Unsure of what it is 3.95 4.37 -0.42

*1=always,2=often,3=sometimes,4=rarely,5=never

At the end of the review, respondents were asked if they would change the way they organised their freezers. Those that said they would think about changing the way they organised their freezers were asked what they would do (146 out of the 600); the answers were coded into the following groups: Reducing the amount of special offers/reducing the amount of food they bought in general. Using food in freezer before buying more. Clearing out the contents more often, as part of a freezer management process rather than specifically with

the intention to reduce waste.

Overall, however, as a result of conducting the review, the majority of respondents said they wouldn’t change their habits despite some of them wasting food. Only one in four respondents claimed that they would change their freezer habits; some said they would now check the freezer before shopping (15%), others would check food dates more often (13%) and a few said they would be more organised in general (11%) but weren’t specific about what being organised actually meant.


5.0 Summary and conclusions 5.1 Frozen food purchasing The largest proportion of food purchased by the survey respondents was generally fresh/refrigerated food, with about a quarter of the shopping basket comprising frozen food (Table 2). Ice cream tops the list of most regularly bought frozen food (Figure 8) with about half of shoppers regularly buying ice cream. Chips are the second most often purchased, followed by pizza, mixed vegetables and peas. One in three respondents (38%) said they were ‘often’ or ‘always’ enticed by special offers on frozen food. Half of respondents stated that they rarely or never read the date label on frozen foods though a third said they always or often do this. Thirteen per cent said they would check date labels more (generally) as a result of responding to the survey. The main reason for buying frozen food is that ‘it keeps for a long time’. The second priority is as an emergency measure, with one in three (34%) saying that ‘it’s good to have in case fresh food runs out’. 5.2 Freezing fresh or refrigerated food at home Ninety-two per cent of respondents said they regularly freeze fresh or refrigerated food at home. Of those, one in four will freeze food bought on special offer/promotion. The most frequently frozen items according to the households who freeze food at home are: fresh meat (lamb, beef) by 51% of households; fish and seafood by 37%; breads by 35%; and chicken by 30%.

About half of respondents said they read the labelling on fresh/refrigerated foods to determine what can/can’t be frozen and one in 20 look for the snowflake logo. However, when the whole survey population were shown the snowflake logo only half (54%) recognised it as meaning the item is suitable for freezing (Figure 18). When asked when they would freeze fresh/refrigerated food, the top two answers were ‘on the day of purchase’ (59%) and ‘as soon as possible after they’re bought’ (25%). Respondents stated that the primary reason for their answer was to ensure food safety (50% of the sample). This is interesting, given FSA guidance (Section 1.3) is to freeze up to the ‘use by’ date. Cost and convenience are the major reasons given for freezing fresh or refrigerated foods (Figure 16). The single most often given reason for freezing is ‘it’s a convenient way of having ‘fresh’ food ready to eat’. When asked directly if they would freeze unopened packs of food if they’d been in the fridge ‘a few days’, two out of three households would (65%), but one in three would not. When asked why, 64% stated it was because of concerns about food safety, 31% because of food quality. When asked about packs of food part-consumed and open for a couple of days (and stored in the fridge), only four in ten households would freeze the rest of the pack; the majority would discard the rest of the pack on the grounds of food safety. Ninety per cent did not write additional labels on pre-packed food they freeze at home. The main reasons labelling is not done more is that they claim to know the contents of their freezers and can identify items. Foods considered un-freezable are: eggs by 20% of households; milk by 17%; cheese by 16%; and fruit by 16%. This is not surprising perhaps, given that in the Retailer Survey (Section 1.4) only 24% of milk packs had any freezing instructions, and no packs of cheese or eggs had any freezing instructions (apart from a small proportion that stated ‘do not freeze’).


Just thirty-six per cent of households would specifically cook food with the intention of freezing all or part of it. Of those that do, the most popular way of keeping homemade food is in an airtight container (68%) followed by freezer bags (40%), re-using old packaging (28%) and normal plastic bags (18%). The top foods most often cooked with the intention of freezing them are: soup by 53% of respondents who cook to freeze; curry by 45%; casserole by 25%; and bolognese sauce by 19%. Half of households (52%) would not freeze cooked turkey or chicken (Figure 24).

The following percentages said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ did the following: freeze food that was cooked but not served (44%) or freeze food that was cooked and served onto the plate, but not eaten (83%). 5.3 How long to keep food frozen Frozen vegetables are kept the longest time at an average of 4 months (122 days), whereas frozen ready meals have the shortest at less than 3 months (78 days). About half the sample stated that they got their information about how long to keep their frozen foods by reading pack instructions (Figure 14). With the exception of frozen meat joints, the main reason frozen food wouldn’t be eaten after the length of time they thought it could be kept for, is for quality reasons, followed by concerns about food safety. Home-frozen food (both store-bought and homemade) are kept for a shorter time than store-bought frozen food. Treatment of vegetables highlights the difference; bought-frozen vegetables spend the longest time in the freezer (four months on average) compared to home-frozen (a significantly lower two months). Homemade frozen food spends the shortest amount of time in the freezer, at just over one month (Figure 25). Concerns about food safety and quality are the major reasons people won’t keep home-frozen food for longer (Tables 4, 7). 5.4 Interactive freezer use A third of respondents said they used their freezers more than once a day and a third said they used it most days; so interaction with the freezer is high for the majority of respondents. Although a high percentage (74%) agreed with the statement that their freezer is a ‘long term storage solution’ others agreed with the statements that ‘it’s used to stock up on special foods’ (51%) and ‘it’s for daily use’ (51%). As a reflection of this, eight in ten respondents were fairly confident of their freezer contents (Figure 29) and claimed that finding unidentifiable frozen food in their freezer was rare (72% said they rarely or never find food they can’t identify) (Figure 30). During the freezer review, a third of respondents were re-acquainted with food they’d forgotten about but only 45 householders (8%) found food they could not identify at all, a total of 90 items out of the 7,834 individually recorded frozen items (or 1%). So, claimed behaviour seems to be accurate; although the problem of remembering what’s in their freezer and identifying the things they find exists, it does so on a small scale. Respondents claimed wastage of frozen food was minimal; 73% claimed they rarely or never regularly discard frozen food (Figure 32). During the freezer review, however, 23% of respondents noted on their form that they discarded some of the food from their freezers. Of those that did admit to throwing food away from their freezer, the top three reasons were: ‘gone off’ (35%), ‘past its food date’ (31%), or that the respondent ‘didn’t like / fancy the look of it’ (22%). Least often cited reasons were ‘freezer burn’ (14%), ‘to make room for other food’ (10%) and ‘unsure of what it is’ (8%). During the freezer review, 7,834 different items24 were found and recorded in the 600 participants’ freezers. The self-audited freezer contents review provides an extrapolated value of UK freezer contents at £860 million25. The overall average of the actual freezer contents is calculated as £34 per household (Figure 34).



The top five items found during the review were (Table 8): ice-cream (74%); chicken (misc) (44%); peas (42%); chips (42%); and fruit/veg (misc) (36%).

Over half the items in UK freezers were bought frozen. Only one in ten items were homemade with the remainder being fresh and refrigerated food frozen at home (Table 9). Most food items in the freezer were still in packaging of some sort; either open or unopened (Table 10). As a result of the review, one in four respondents claimed that they would change their freezer habits; some said they would now check the freezer before shopping (15%), others would check food dates more often (13%) a few said they would be more organised in general (11%) but weren’t specific about what being organised actually meant. Only a third said their freezer is very full after their main shop, most said it is quite full (53%) (Figure 26). Single households had the largest unused freezer capacity; only 25% said they’re full to capacity after the main shop, compared to 38% for households with children and 32% for couples. At the time of the review, the freezer fullness was recorded by the interviewer (Figure 35). What the interviewers found and what respondents claimed (when asked how full their freezers were after the main shop) is very similar (Figure 26), given the cycle of shopping coinciding with the time of interview. Sixty nine per cent of households had at least 25% of their freezer space unused. 5.5 Recommendations Increase use of the snowflake logo on fresh and refrigerated food and/or provide clear instructions e.g.

‘freezable’ to highlight what food can be frozen at home (and how they should be defrosted and cooked; this could include the need to transfer the food or drink to a “suitable container” prior to freezing; or, for example, highlight that, if frozen, texture may change but the food can be used for specific uses – for example, frozen cheese for making sauces).

Increase general awareness of what the snowflake logo means and what can be frozen, for example, by point of sale communication. Tips such as ‘grate and freeze’ on cheese packs could be considered.

Move away from ‘freeze on the day of purchase’ labelling so that on-pack instructions are consistent with FSA guidance and consumers know they can safely freeze unopened and opened packs of food after the purchase date, as long as they’ve been stored correctly and are within their ‘use-by’ or ‘once opened use within x days’ date.

Improve the consistency of instructions about how long food can be kept frozen and, where possible, lengthen this time to give consumers a longer shelf-life.

Sell products to help consumers use their freezer more effectively e.g. freezer labels, pens (so consumers can record the product type and date purchased and/or frozen) and suitable storage containers e.g. to freeze milk, cooking sauces and homemade meals.

Enhance communication to consumers around the benefits of using their freezers more effectively (e.g. saving money through freezing more home cooked foods, either from “batch cooking” or of leftovers), and addressing the barriers that may be preventing some consumers from doing this (such as concerns over the safety of storing food in the freezer for long periods of time, uncertainty around what foods can be frozen, and when food should be frozen).

5.6 Communicating to consumers Based on the early findings detailed in this report, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign launched the Great Freezer Expedition in Winter 2009 (the press release is given in Appendix 1). The Great Freezer Expedition encouraged consumers to explore inside their freezers in the lead up to Christmas, make meals using the food inside them, free up space to fill with festive foods, or homemade dishes for entertaining and famous Christmas leftovers.



The campaign was based on the key finding that Omnibus respondents said they could eat from their freezers for 11 days on average. The research also suggested that for many respondents their freezer was viewed as a long-term archive and too full to fit anything more in it with a third of respondents finding food that had been forgotten about during the review. The campaign was supported and fronted by TV presenter, Sue Perkins and the following tools and information were developed for the www.lovefoodhatewaste.com website26: An Arctic Aunt busting common freezer myths. A video of Sue Perkins doing her own Great Freezer Expedition. A festive freezer makeover story from one website user. A Freezer Expedition game – explaining the process. Brand new recipes under the following headings: Glamour from nothing. Great for the freezer. Using frozen items.

Key messages from the campaign were: 1 We are sitting on a lot of food in our freezers. 2 But we don’t know what’s in them. 3 We are encouraging Brits to join the LFHW Great Freezer Expedition - the idea is to explore what’s inside our

freezers, making meals using these foods and freeing up space to fill with festive foods, homemade dishes ready for entertaining and of course, those inevitable leftovers.

4 Did you know, nearly all food can be frozen for use later? There was considerable media interest in this story, with more than 40 radio interviews given, and more than 50 pieces appearing in both national and local press. There are also examples of how the food industry are supporting WRAPs objectives in this area, such as: Waitrose producing a free in-store leaflet “Frozen Food: Make the Most of Your Freezer” Morrisons “Great Taste Less Waste” campaign incorporating freezing advice. Sainsbury’s labelling products such as a divisible two-pack of chilled garlic ciabatta with “one ciabatta ready to

eat, one ciabatta ready to freeze”. Bird’s Eye carrying out research in to consumers use of the freezer and frozen food, and PR \ advertising

aimed at helping to highlight the benefits of better use of the freezer, and addressing food safety concerns.

26 Available at: www.wrap.org.uk/love_food_hate_waste/partners


Appendix 1 Love Food Hate Waste Press Release (November 2009) Love Food Hate Waste launches Freezer Expedition to seek out frozen foods. New research27 from Love Food Hate Waste into freezer use in UK homes, reveals a third of us find food in the freezer we’d forgotten about or can’t identify, called “Unidentified Frozen Objects”. We keep £860m worth of food in our freezers, but doubts about freezing a wider variety of foods, and a belief that freezing is only for long-term storage, means that we are taking the freezer for granted. Food that is thrown away which could have been frozen adds to the food waste problem. In the run up to Christmas when the freezer comes into its own, Love Food Hate Waste is calling on us all to find out what’s inside our freezers. By making meals from what’s already there we can save money, postpone our regular shop and make room for new festive foods, homemade meals and those inevitable leftovers. TV personality Sue Perkins is calling UK householders to join the Freezer Expedition at lovefoodhatewaste.com this weekend in preparation for the festive season. Julia Falcon of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign explains: “The Freezer Expedition is a journey into the unknown for some of us. Our new findings show that most of us would never freeze traditional Christmas foods if we’ve over catered, even though freezing means we can choose to eat them later. So Love Food Hate Waste is giving myth busting advice on what we can freeze – and it’s practically everything.” Christmas cake, leftover turkey, potatoes and any extra stilton can all be frozen for another time. Based on 2008 figures, UK households are about to spend more than £520m28 on Christmas dinner alone this year. So, starting the season with more room to freeze our Christmas foods and leftovers should help us all save money and reduce our food waste. You can watch Sue Perkins at lovefoodhatewaste.com taking part in her very own Freezer Expedition and discovering practical tips as she goes. As Sue says “the freezer is just like a ‘pause’ button to help save foods – it’s no longer a dark, distant place to me.” The website also features a new range of freezable family meals to make at home, many of which can be cooked straight from frozen for convenience over the holidays.

Top freezer tips from Love Food Hate Waste:

1 Food can be frozen at any point up to the end of the “use by” date. 2 If you defrost raw meat and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again. Just take care to defrost

thoroughly and re-heat until piping hot. 3 Freezing fresh foods and home-cooked meals is a great way to save food for later, sealing in the goodness

until you are ready to eat it – freeze in portions or “meals”. 4 Almost any food (including hard cheese, milk, mashed potato, bread, homemade meals and cakes) can be

frozen – check the website for more information. 5 Cooked food should be cooled before transferring into the freezer. 6 It is safe to defrost food at room temperature, provided you intend to eat it as soon as it’s thawed. Or

defrost in the fridge overnight and plan to eat within 2 days. 7 Labelling and dating foods before you put them in the freezer will help avoid ‘UFOs’ in the future. 8 You can prepare ahead for Christmas by parboiling your potatoes and freezing them. 9 If you’re going away this Christmas don’t forget you can freeze any unused milk before you go. 10 If you’re struggling to get your portions right why not go to lovefoodhatewaste.com and use our portion

calculator to find out exactly how much you need to cook Christmas dinner.

27 Understanding Consumer Use of the Freezer, WRAP, 2010

28 Nielsen Homescan data based on Christmas foods 2008 spending figures


Appendix 2 Results from Omnibus Study Q2. Do you know roughly what’s in your freezer without looking? Perceived awareness of freezer contents is high. Nine in ten respondents claim to know what’s in their freezer without looking; two in 10 of these are ‘absolutely sure’ of the contents. Only one in 10 admitted that they don’t know what’s in there until they look.

Figure 1 Claimed Awareness of Freezer Contents

Q3. Which of the following foods to you have (from memory) in your freezer at the moment?

Fish or meat products are the most often cited items in the freezer. Although, interestingly, this implies that 1 in 10 freezers in the UK do not contain any fish or meat. The UK Vegetarian Society estimates that approximately 5% of the population follow a vegetarian diet, although this fluctuates depending on food scares and other factors. Vegetables are next most often cited with 8 in 10 households currently having frozen veg. Desserts and Ready meals are in 6 in 10 household freezers. Bread is also frozen in 6 in 10 households. Homemade food exists in less than half of UK freezers.

Figure 2 Claimed Freezer Contents by Food Type

91 81

64 62 58

45

16

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

fish/meat vegetables dessert readymeals/pizza

bread/rolls homemade meals/cooked

foods

soups/sauces

%

20

69

91 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

yes absolutely yes pretty sureof most

not really I lookin it to find out

no idea do not have freezer

%


Q4. How much do you think the contents of your freezer are worth (think about store bought and homemade)? An average estimate is £74.70 worth of food in freezers, but this is an over estimate by respondents. The actual audited value (recorded in the Quantitative Study – see Section 5) is closer to £35, less than half what respondents actually think they have. The samples are separate, but both are representative of the UK population so comparisons are reliable. Similar over estimates can be seen in other studies where multiple items require guesswork mental arithmetic. It should also be remembered that normal household contents insurances cover freezer/fridge contents up to the value of £100, so this figure may influence people’s guesswork.

Figure 3 Estimated Freezer Contents Value

Q5. If you had to eat all your main meals from your current freezer content, how long could you manage? The average freezer is thought to support 11 days of food for the household. Over 2 in 10 households claim they could survive on the contents of their freezer for over 2 weeks. We believe this is an incorrect over estimate as the freezer review data does not support this claim.

Figure 4 Estimated Freezer Resource

Q6. How often do you find things in your freezer that you don’t recognise? Almost 8 in 10 households claim it’s uncommon to find unrecognisable items in their freezers. Very few households are regularly finding items in their freezers that they’re unsure of. This corresponds to the fact that

2 2

14

29 29

22

2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

I couldn't 1 day Up to 3 days Up to a week Up to twoweeks

Longer than 2 weeks

Don't know

%

2

9

19 19

12 12

7

43

2 2

5

0 2 4 6 8

10 12 14 16 18 20

Less than £10

£10-20 £21-40 £41-60 £61-80 £81-100

£101-120

£121-140

£141-160

£161- 180

£181- 200

£200+

%


they claim to be very aware of their freezer contents from a previous question, where 9 in 10 are fairly sure what’s currently in their freezers.

Figure 5 Occurrence of Unrecognizable Items in Freezer

Q7. Would you freeze the following foods? There is a clear difference in perception of what can and can’t be frozen. The reasons why are not covered in this part of the study but it’s clear that some food items are considered unsuitable for freezing. Bread, bacon and sausages are the items most likely to be frozen. The traditional Christmas food items are least likely to be frozen such as cranberry sauce, bread sauce, cream, Christmas cake, pudding, cheese and potatoes. Half of households would not freeze cooked turkey or chicken. It is unknown why there is a reluctance to freeze these birds once they’ve been cooked.

Figure 6 Which Foods Consider Freezing

86 83

48

2218 18 17

13 12 9 9

0102030405060708090

100

Freshbread

Freshbacon andsausages

Cookedturkey orchicken

M ashedpotato

Cookedroast

potatoes

Stilton andcheddar

Christmaspudding

Cream Christmascake

Cranberrysauce

Breadsauce

%

Q8. Do you find you throw away more food over Christmas than other times of the year? Q9. Thinking about last Christmas what food did you end up throwing away? Please say whether cooked or not cooked e.g. fresh veg, cooked veg, left over meals, cheesecake etc… Q10. How much do you think the food you threw away was worth? A third of households estimate food wastage to be higher at Christmas. Most households believe there to be no difference in food wastage but a minority believe they wasted less.

1 3

19

50

27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

%


Four in 10 households claim they wasted no food last Christmas. This is an encouraging claim, if true. However 2 in 10 households couldn’t remember, which given the time elapsed is hardly surprising, leaving 4 in 10 households who specifically recalled items they discarded. This is more likely to be as a result of repetitive discarding behaviour known by those who regularly organise Christmas food and so know what is most often wasted. Vegetables are most often mentioned as discarded items, followed by meat. Fish rarely gets a mention.

Figure 7 Estimated Food Wastage at Christmas (Food Type)

Wasted food over Christmas is estimated at £140 million. This figure has been calculated using the householders’ own estimates of the value of their wasted food and is subject to unknown margins of error. However the consistency of the number across varying respondent groups adds a degree of credibility as to its reliability. The calculation is extrapolated to the UK household number of 25.7 million (ie 0.5229 x 25.7million x £10.44).

29 0.52 refers to the 52% of households at the omnibus who admitted to wasting food at Christmas.

21

14

10 10

5

32 2 2 2

0

5

10

15

20

25

vegetable meat dessert misc food dairy fruit bread sauces/dips salad biscuits/cookies

%


Appendix 3 Bespoke Survey Questionnaire Section 1: SCREENING 1.1 Do you have a fridge, fridge-freezer or freezer?

Upright fridge-freezer (equal space for each) 1 Upright fridge-freezer (more space for fridge than freezer) 2 Chest freezer in garage ........ 3 Chest freezer in kitchen........ 4 Under counter freezer .......... 5 American style fridge freezer 6 Upright freezer .................... 7 Fridge with small freezer/ice box 8 Any other type of freezer...... 9 No freezer (fridge only) ........ 10 (CHECK QUOTA)

1.2 How long have you had your freezer/fridge freezer? WRITE IN BELOW

_________ Years _________ Months

1.3 Who in your household is mainly responsible for the main grocery shop? I am.................................... 1 Myself and my partner/other equally 2 My partner/other ................. 3 (ask to speak to person who is or CLOSE)

1.4 Who in your household is mainly responsible for preparing the meals?

I am.................................... 1 Myself and my partner/other equally 2 My partner/other ................. 3 (ask to speak to person who is or CLOSE)

1.5 Have you done a grocery shop (for food) in the past 2 weeks?

Yes ................................... 1 No .................................... 2 (CLOSE)

1.6 How many people live in your household (including children)?

1....................................... 1 2....................................... 2 3....................................... 3 4....................................... 4 5....................................... 5 6+ .................................... 6

1.7 Location

Urban................................ 1 Suburban .......................... 2 Rural................................. 3


SECTION 2: General food shopping behaviour 2.1. How often do you normally go to a shop or store to buy:

a) FOOD when you do a MAIN shop? b) Additional TOP-UP FOOD?

a. MAIN FOOD b. TOP-UP FOOD Every day (6/7 times per week) Every other day (4/5 times per week) 2-3 times a week Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Less than monthly I do not do this

2.2. Normally, when you go shopping to what extent is it planned?

a) For a MAIN FOOD shop? b) For TOP-UP FOOD shopping?

a. MAIN FOOD b. TOP-UP FOOD Always planned Mostly planned Sometimes planned Rarely planned Never planned I do not do this

2.3. Normally, where do you go to:

a) Do a MAIN FOOD shop? b) Do TOP-UP FOOD shopping?

a. MAIN FOOD b. TOP-UP FOOD Large supermarket (e.g. Sainsbury’s) Small supermarket (e.g. Sainsbury’s local) Independent supermarket Internet Independent butcher, green grocer etc. Market stalls Not applicable

2.4 What dictates when you go shopping for food? (please specify) 2.5 Thinking about the main shop, roughly what proportion is usually: (%)

Fresh or chilled food (bakery, fruit and vegetables, fresh meat, fish etc…) 1 Frozen food (peas, pizza etc..) 2 Dry or ambient food (cereals, rice, tinned food etc…) 3


SECTION 3: Frozen food purchasing and use This section only refers to behaviour around store-bought FROZEN food 3.1 What frozen foods do you regularly buy? (as many as come to mind, don’t need to get to 10)

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

3.2 Why do you buy frozen food? (tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED

Good to have it the freezer in case I run out of fresh food Good to have it the freezer for when I don’t have enough time to cook from scratch Good to have it in the freezer in case I have to cook for more / less people than expected It’s great when I’m having a party/catering for large numbers It’s good value for money Its cheaper than fresh food Often on promotion/good value when they’re on promotion Better quality/more nutritious than tinned food Frozen food is as good as fresh (nutrition and taste) Keeps for a long time I trust/like certain frozen food brands I can use it a bit at a time (e.g. chicken breasts, fish fillets) If fresh / chilled options aren’t available Other (please specify)

Other (please specify)

3.3 What, if anything, puts you off buying more frozen food? (tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED

Don’t have room in my freezer Concerned about food safety (e.g. how to defrost/cook from frozen) Concerned about food quality Prefer to buy fresh foods (taste) Prefer to buy fresh foods (nutrition/quality) It’s poor value for money Forget to take it out of the freezer in time Lack of choice (where I shop \ generally) Can never find what you need in the frozen section Would be defrosted by the time I got it home Don’t notice/think of frozen foods in store Not much choice in my store Other (please specify)



3.4 How often do you buy frozen food as a result of it being on special offer or as part of a special promotion?


3.5 Which frozen foods or food types are you likely to buy as result of special offers?

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

3.6 Would you say your habits of buying frozen foods are…

Usually consistent through the year Vary according to certain situations

3.7 In what circumstances do your purchasing habits for frozen foods change? (tick all that apply) PROMPTED

In preparing for holidays In preparing for Christmas If preparing for a party If I’m expecting friends and family If lots of offers in-store When the seasons change, i.e. buy more in the summer Other (please specify)


3.8 Do you look at the DATE label on frozen foods when shopping?


3.9 How long do you generally keep these types of frozen food..?

Frozen vegetables (peas, sweet corn) __________days/months/don’t know Frozen snacks (chips, onion rings) __________days/months/don’t know Frozen bakery (garlic bread). __________days/months/don’t know Frozen meat joints/fish fillets (beef, pork, cod, salmon) __________days/months/don’t know Frozen desserts (ice cream, cheesecake) __________days/months/don’t know Frozen ready meals (pizzas, curries etc..) __________days/months/don’t know

3.10 Why wouldn’t you eat them after this point? UNPROMPTED (tick relevant box) Following

instructions on the pack




Frozen vegetables

Frozen snacks Frozen bakery Frozen meat


joints/fish fillets Frozen desserts Frozen ready meals

Other (please specify) 3.11 How do you know for how long to keep frozen food in your freezer? UNPROMPTED

I read the instructions on the packet My freezer has instructions on it I get information from reading/the internet Just general knowledge (handed down/friends and family tell me) From looking at it, to see if it’s still ok Don’t know Other (please specify)


SECTION 4: Freezing fresh or chilled foods at home This section only refers to behaviour around freezing store-bought FRESH or CHILLED food yourself at home 4.1 When you’ve bought fresh or chilled foods do you ever freeze them at home? (e.g. bread, fresh

chicken breasts, chilled ready meals) No GO TO Q4.2 Yes ..................GO TO Q4.3

4.2 If you answered no, why is that? (tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED (then go to Q4.8)

Don’t have room in my freezer Concerned about food safety (e.g. how to defrost/cook from frozen) Don’t think it tastes as good It alters the texture Concerned about food quality Prefer to eat fresh foods Forget to take it out of the freezer in time Don’t need to as we plan meals \ eat the food in time Too much effort Other (please specify)


4.3 If you answered yes, why is that? (tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED

To take advantage of price reductions To take advantage of promotions/multi-buy offers (‘buy-one-get-one’) To take advantage of “marked down” food (sold close to it’s sell by date) Better quality than frozen food Convenient way to have fresh food ready to defrost/cook To enable me to buy bigger packs and divide them up (value for money)


To enable me to buy bigger packs and divide them up (convenience of not having to buy again for a while)

When my plans change, I freeze food that I thought I’d eat Other (please specify)


4.4 What fresh or chilled foods do you buy to freeze at home?

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

4.5 How do you know what fresh or chilled foods you can freeze? UNPROMPTED

I read the instructions on the packet if there is one I look for the snowflake logo on the pack My freezer has instructions on it I get information from reading/the internet Just general knowledge (handed down/friends and family tell me) Don’t know \ just put things in the freezer anyway

4.6 When should fresh or chilled foods be frozen? UNPROMPTED

As soon as they are bought/on the day of purchase As soon as possible after they are bought No later than the sell-by date No later than the best-before date No later than the use-by date Any time, as long as it looks ok Don’t know

4.7 Why do you think this? UNPROMPTED

Instructions on pack normally say “freeze on day of purchase” Concerned about food safety Concerned about food quality Other (please specify)

Other (please specify) 4.8 If you had unopened packs of fresh or chilled food for several days and realise they aren’t going to

be used would you freeze them? (Eg sausages, ready meals etc.) Yes No* Not applicable – I always eat chilled foods in time

4.9 * If not, why not? UNPROMPTED

Instructions on pack normally say “freeze on day of purchase” Concerned about quality Concerned about food safety Probably won’t get eaten Can’t be frozen Other (please specify)



4.10 If you’ve opened a pack of fresh or chilled food and several days later realise you’re not going to eat

the rest of it, would you freeze them? Yes No * Not applicable – I always eat chilled foods in time

4.11 * If not, why not? UNPROMPTED

Instructions on pack normally say “freeze on day of purchase” Concerned about quality Concerned about food safety Too much effort Don’t have anything to freeze the food in (container) Not enough left to make it worthwhile \ not enough for another meal Probably won’t get eaten Can’t be frozen Other (please specify)


4.12 How long after you’ve frozen chilled or fresh food, would you eat it?

Fresh vegetables (blanched carrots, courgettes etc) __________days/months/don’t know Fresh meat/fish (beef, pork, cod, salmon) __________days/months/don’t know Ready meals (pizzas, curries etc.) __________days/months/don’t know Bakery (bread rolls, loaves, cake) __________days/months/don’t know Dairy (milk, cheese) ............. __________days/months/don’t know

4.13 Why wouldn’t you eat them after this point? UNPROMPTED (tick relevant box) Following

instructions on the pack




Fresh vegetables Fresh meat/fish Ready meals Bakery Dairy Other (please specify)

4.14 How do you know how to defrost the things you freeze? UNPROMPTED

I read the instructions on the packet if there is one My freezer has instructions on it I get information from reading/the internet Just general knowledge (handed down/friends and family tell me) Just leave it until it’s soft \ not frozen anymore I make sure I cook it thoroughly Other



4.15 Where there are instructions on defrosting on the packet, generally, how useful are they? Please give a score out of 5 where 5 means very useful and 1 means not at all useful

Very useful (5)

(4) (3) (2) Not at all useful (1)

Don’t use them 4.16 If you’re planning to cook something you’ve frozen yourself, when do you normally take it out of the

freezer? UNPROMPTED Night before, leave it on the kitchen surface Night before, leave it in the fridge Morning before, leave it on the kitchen surface Morning before, leave it in the fridge Defrost it in the microwave just before I need it Cook from frozen Other


4.17 Can you think of any foods that you can’t freeze?

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

SECTION 5: Freezing homemade meals/leftovers 5.1 When cooking or preparing food do you do any of the following? PROMPTED

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never a. Make more food with the

intention of eating some and freezing some

* *

b. Make food specifically to be frozen

* *

c. Freeze food that was cooked but not served i.e. left in the pan/casserole etc.

**

**

d. Freeze food that was cooked and served onto the plate

* IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS RARELY/NEVER TO (A) OR (B) ASK Q5.2 ** IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS RARELY/NEVER TO (C) ASK Q5.3 5.2 * (if answered rarely/never at (a) or (b) in Q5.1) Why don’t you freeze much homemade food?

(tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED Don’t have room in my freezer


Concerned about food safety (e.g. how to defrost/cook from frozen) Concerned about food quality Prefer to eat fresh food Would forget to eat it Don’t want to eat the same thing twice Goes in the fridge to be eaten later Don’t have the right storage containers Would forget what it was \ how long it had been in the freezer Can’t afford to cook more than is needed (for one meal) The ingredients that went into the meal are often previously frozen

5.3 ** (if answered rarely/never at (c) in Q5.1) And thinking just of food that was cooked but not

served, why wouldn’t you freeze them to eat later? (tick all that apply) UNPROMPTED Don’t have room in my freezer Don’t know whether they can be frozen Concerned about food safety (e.g. how to defrost/cook from frozen) Concerned about food quality Prefer to buy fresh foods Would forget to eat it Don’t want to eat the same thing twice Don’t have the right storage containers Would forget what it was \ how long it had been in the freezer Leftovers get thrown away \ fed to pets Goes in the fridge to be eaten later The ingredients that went into the meal are often previously frozen Don’t produce enough for a portion/meal

IF RESPONDENT SAYS ALWAYS/OFTEN/SOMETIMES AT Q5.1 FOR (A) AND/OR (B) ASK Q5.4 5.4 What kinds of food would you cook to be frozen \ cook and freeze?

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

5.5 How long after you’ve frozen homemade food, would you eat it?

Cooked meat/fish pieces (beef, pork, cod, salmon) __________days/months/don’t know Homemade meat/fish dishes (chilli, fish pie) __________days/months/don’t know Homemade vegetable dishes (vegetable pie etc) __________days/months/don’t know Homemade desserts (ice-cream, cheesecake etc) __________days/months/don’t know Homemade bakery (bread rolls, loaves, cake) __________days/months/don’t know Homemade cheese based dishes (macaroni cheese) __________days/months/don’t know

5.6 Why wouldn’t you eat them after this point? UNPROMPTED (tick relevant box) Concerned about

food safety Concerned about food quality


Cooked meat/fish pieces Homemade meat/fish dishes Homemade vegetable dishes Homemade desserts Homemade bakery Homemade cheese based dishes



5.7 How do you know how long to keep the food you’ve frozen in your freezer for? UNPROMPTED

My freezer has instructions on it I get information from reading/the internet Just general knowledge (handed down/friends and family tell me) From looking at it, to see if it’s still ok

5.8 How do you know how to defrost the things you freeze? UNPROMPTED

I get information from reading/the internet Just general knowledge (handed down/friends and family tell me) From looking at it, to see if it’s still ok My freezer has instructions on it Just leave it until it’s soft \ not frozen anymore I make sure I cook it thoroughly

5.9 If you’re planning to cook something you’ve frozen yourself, when do you normally take it out of the

freezer? UNPROMPTED Night before, leave it on the kitchen surface Night before, leave it in the fridge Morning before, leave it on the kitchen surface Morning before, leave it in the fridge Defrost it in the microwave just before I need it Cook from frozen

SECTION 6: Managing your freezer 6.1 How full is your freezer after your main shop? UNPROMPTED

Very full (never have enough space to store more things) Quite full (usually have enough space) Nearly empty (always have enough space)

6.2 Do you know what’s in your freezer without looking? UNPROMPTED

Yes, absolutely Yes, pretty sure of most of the contents Not really, I look in it to find out No idea

6.3 How often do you find things in your freezer that you don’t recognise/remember what they are?


6.4 Do you organise your freezer in a particular way (i.e. have a specific shelf for certain foods)? PROMPTED

Yes I always keep the same foods together/in the same place Yes I try and keep the same foods together/in the same place, but it depends on space No I ddon’t have any system of organizing/just put things where they’ll fit

6.5 Do you write labels or use a marker on the foods you freeze (eg date frozen, description of food)?... a. Already packaged bought food b. Unpackaged or homemade

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never a. Already packaged * * b. Unpackaged/homemade ** **

*6.6a If not, why not? UNPROMPTED

Don’t need to as know what is in the freezer/can recognize things Don’t have time


Don’t have the right labels/pens Don’t freeze food myself – only buy pre-frozen so don’t need to do

**6.6b If not, why not? UNPROMPTED

Don’t need to as know what is in the freezer/can recognize things Don’t have time Don’t have the right labels/pens Don’t freeze food myself – only buy pre-frozen so don’t need to do

6.7 When freezing home cooked food, what types of container do you use? (tick all that apply) PROMPTED

Freezer bags Special freezer containers Airtight container (e.g. Tupperware) Re-use old packaging (e.g. margarine tub) Plastic bags Container the food was cooked in, ie the casserole dish

6.8 How often do you throw away food from your freezer (excluding unplanned defrost such as power cut)?

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never --- SKIP TO Q6.10

6.9 And how often is it as a result of one of these reasons? FOR EACH REASON PLEASE STATE WHETHER YOU DO THIS ALWAYS/OFTEN/SOMETIMES/RARELY/NEVER

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never a. Gone past its food date (e.g. best

before date)

b. Food’s gone off c. Don’t fancy it / like the look of it d. Unsure of what it is e. Has freezer burn f. Has been leaked onto/leaked g. As part of defrosting the freezer h. On a general tidy-up of the

freezer contents

i. To make room for other food j. Unsure of how long it’s been in

the freezer

k. Other (please specify) Other (please specify) 6.10 What do you think this logo means?

(please specify)


6.11 What do you think this means?

(please specify)

6.12 How often do you use your freezer (i.e. take or cook food from it/put food in it)?

At least once a day Most days Couple of days a week Once a week Once or twice a month Less than once a month Can’t remember the last time

6.13 How do you view your freezer…(agreement scales) PROMPTED

As a long term storage option For daily use For stocking up on special foods Prefer fresh food so don’t use it much I can’t face sorting it out \ it’s too full \ difficult to find anything in there! Never think to look in it Other (please specify)


6.14 How much do you think the contents of your freezer are worth?

Less than £10 £10-20 £21-30 £31-40 £41-50 £51-60 £61-70 £71-80 £81-90 £91-100 £100+

6.15 What would encourage you to use your freezer more? UNPROMPTED

Clearer information on packaging of chilled/fresh foods about what can be frozen and for how long

Clearer information on packaging about how to defrost food Leaflets about freezing and defrosting I could pick up in store Easy reference/central point of information on the internet Better freezable storage containers


Easier way of remembering what’s in my freezer Bigger/smaller freezer Better design such as deeper drawers Smaller packs/foods too big to store Better seals (gets frozen up inside and is difficult to pull drawers out) Don’t want to use it more Other (please specify)


SECTION 7: Christmas holiday season behaviour We realise that it is some time before you will be thinking about your Christmas holiday food shopping, but in this section we would like to find out how you usually plan your Christmas food. We have used the word “Christmas” to refer to the holiday period at the end of the year (including New Year). 7.1 Where are you likely to be over the Christmas period?

At home Away Christmas eve Christmas day Boxing day New year’s eve New year’s day Period between Christmas and New Year

7.2 Thinking about the SPECIAL meals over the Christmas period …

a. which will you/your family be providing… b. roughly how many people are coming?

Meal provided by

me/my family Number of

people Christmas eve Christmas day Boxing day New year’s eve New year’s day Period between Christmas and New Year

7.3 During the Christmas holiday period how will your shopping habits change compared to the rest of the year?

For each activity I read please give me a score out of 5 where 5 means ‘very different to how I normally behave’ and 1 means ‘no difference at all from how I normally behave’

Very different

(5) (4) (3) (2) No difference

at all (1) The number of times I will visit the shops for food in the run up to Christmas

The quantity of food I will buy in the run up to Christmas

The types of food I will buy in the run up to Christmas

The amount I spend on food The amount of frozen food I buy The amount of fresh food I buy The amount of ‘party’ food I buy ‘just in case’ people drop in


7.4 How much do you think you’ll spend on festive foods this year? (Write in in £s) £ ____________ 7.5 During the Christmas holiday period how will your shopping/cooking habits change from your normal routine?

Somebody different does the shopping Somebody different does more of the cooking We’ll cook more from scratch We’ll buy more party foods We’ll buy more pre-prepared foods We’ll use the freezer more Other (please specify)

Other (please specify) 7.6 Do you expect to have food left over from your Christmas MAIN MEAL? UNPROMPTED

Yes, actively plan for extra food for sandwiches and other meals Yes, like to have leftovers that I can freeze to enjoy Christmas later in the year There is no plan but expect some food to be used in other meals Don’t expect any leftover food from the main meal, but if there is some it may be used in other

meals Don’t expect any leftover food, but if there is any it will be thrown out No Other (please specify)

Other (please specify) 7.7 What meals will you make from leftovers? List 7.8 Do you find you waste more food over Christmas than at other times in the year?

Yes, a lot more Yes, a little more No real difference No, waste a bit less than normal No, waste a lot less than normal

7.9 What foods do you usually end up throwing away over Christmas? List


7.10 Why is this? UNPROMPTED

Overbuy in case people come to visit Overbuy because the shops won’t be open as much Will over-cater so that everyone has enough (special meal and want everyone to be happy) Will over-cater so that there’s plenty of choice for everyone Will over-cater because I’m unused to catering for more people than usual My plans change (expecting people to visit who then don’t) My plans change because people have snacked during the day and then don’t want to eat a main

meal/as much of the main meal I’ve planned for Am more likely to buy things on promotion Can’t store things properly (i.e. fridge gets full, and things go off quicker) People buy/bring food with them that I can’t use/can’t store Just can’t face to eat the same things anymore (all very rich food and just don’t want to eat it) Don’t know what to do with leftovers Buy things specifically for the main meal, then can’t use it for anything else (e.g. cranberry

sauce) Other (please specify)


7.11 How often will you use your freezer (i.e. take or cook food from it/put food in it) over Christmas?

At least once a day Most days Couple of days a week Once a week Less than once a week Don’t know

7.12 Will you use your freezer over the Christmas period for any of these reasons?

To have plenty of food ready in case I run out of fresh food To have plenty of food ready in case I have to cook for more / less people than expected To have lots of quick and easy meals ready when I don’t have enough time to cook from scratch To help spread out the cooking \ cook things in advance which can be defrosted for Christmas

(e.g. roast potatoes) To cater for a party/catering for large numbers To save money (good value for money) To take advantage of promotions To ensure I have enough food in for when the shops won’t be open to buy fresh food To buy certain foods (e.g. party snacks, frozen turkey) Other (please specify)



SECTION 8: Household demographics 8.1 Respondent’s Gender

Male……… 1 Female……2

8.2 And are you?

Married or with a partner...... 1 Single/separated/widowed/divorced 2

8.3 Can you tell me the age and gender of everyone in the household?

Respondent 2nd person

3rd person

4th person

5th person

6th person

7th person

Gender Age

8.4 Approximately what is the annual household income before taxes?

Below £10,000 £10,000-£20,000 £20,000-£30,000 £30,000-£40,000 £40,000-£50,000 £50,000-£60,000 £60,000-£70,000 £70,000-£80,000 £80,000-£90,000 £90,000-£100,000 More than £100,000

8.5 What is the occupation of the chief income earner in the household _______________________________________________ 8.6 Background

British (white).................... 1 British (Afro-Caribbean)...... 2 British (Asian).................... 3 British (other) ................... 4 state:___________________ Non-British ........................5 state:___________________ other................................. 6 state:___________________


SECTION 9: General questions about your food shopping and food in general 9.1 When you go shopping for food (as part of your main shopping trip) how often do you do the following?


a. Make a list before you go (and stick to it)

b. Check what you have in the cupboards and fridge before you go

c. Check what you have in the freezer before you go

d. Plan what you will eat for the forthcoming week

e. Buy fresh/chilled food on special offer

f. Buy products that are reduced in price due to being near their sell by date

g. Check several packets of the same product to find the one with the longest expiry date

h. Take a cool bag \ box for chilled or frozen food

9.2 How often do you feel you have bought more food than you actually need as a result of these reasons?

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never a. Take advantage of promotions b. Know I can freeze it for later c. Pack sizes are too big d. Too many items in a pack (e.g.

sausages)

e. Not being organised f. Other (please specify)


9.3 Thinking about the different types of food we have just discussed, how much uneaten food, overall,

would you say you generally end up throwing away?

Quite a lot 1 A reasonable amount 2 Some 3 A small amount 4 Hardly any 5 None 6 Don’t know 7

9.4 Thinking about when you have to throw food away, to what extent, if at all, does it bother you? A great deal 1 A fair amount 2 A little 3 Not very much 4


Not at all 5 Don’t know 6

9.5 How much effort do you and your household go to in order to minimise the amount of uneaten food you throw away?

A great deal 1 A fair amount 2 A little 3 Not very much 4 None at all 5 Don’t know 6


Appendix 4 Freezer Review Self-Completion Form


Appendix 5 Guidance for Completing the Freezer Review Thank you for agreeing to take part in this important study, which is happening throughout the UK. The information will be used to help provide better advice about freezing instructions for the future. Freephone 0800 731 1406 if you have any problems completing the review; available from 8am-10pm everyday. Your information is treated anonymously and will be aggregated to a national level, nothing is reported at an individual level. We abide by the rules of the Market Research Society (020 7490 4911). Some important points: Food Safety: If you have to leave some of your frozen food out of the freezer while making the review,

ensure it's for no longer than 10 minutes.

Completing the Review: Please be clear when completing the form, if you have to guess a weight or price please write 'G' in that box. Include EVERY ITEM in your freezer even if you discard it during the review. That also includes: non-food items (e.g. ice cream makers, ice packs, ice cubes). Please read the example page to ensure you are completing the form correctly. Please be honest when recording information, we need to build a clear picture of UK households in order to make informed decisions.

www.wrap.org.uk/retail

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