Revealed: The best time to do your Christmas food shop to minimise food waste according to experts
It has been reported that in the UK we waste on average 5 million Christmas Puddings, 2 million turkeys and not to mention the large amounts of vegetables and festive snacks.
With the festive season soon approaching, the anticipation surrounding the Christmas food shop begins with Google searches for ‘christmas food’ up by 158% in the last month.
However, with the worry of the shop shelves being bare in the days leading up to Christmas - shoppers find themselves buying too much food too early, resulting in inevitable food waste.
With this in mind, food waste experts at InSinkErator have revealed the shelf life of your Christmas dinner staples and the best time to do your food shop in order to avoid food waste.
The shelf life of your Christmas dinner staples
Rank | Item | Shelf Life |
1 | Turkey | 2 days |
2= | Pigs in Blankets | 3 days |
2= | Brussel Sprouts | 3 days |
3 | Broccoli | 5 days |
4 | Peas | Up to 7 days |
5 | Parsnips | 7 days |
6 | Red Cabbage | 10 days |
7 | Potatoes | 2 weeks |
8 | Carrots | 3 weeks |
9 | Stuffing | 12 months |
10 | Gravy Granules | 24 months |
When is the best time to do your Christmas food shop?
Expert, Jamie Griffin from InSinkErator comments: “Looking at the respective shelf lives of your Christmas Dinner staples, it appears as though you may want to plan on completing your Christmas food shop around the 23rd December (2 days before Christmas) to ensure that all produce is fresh in time for the festive celebrations.
When it comes to deciding the best time of day to complete the Christmas food shop, early in the morning is usually the best time to go in order to beat the midday influx of shoppers.
Even though you may think the 23rd December is extremely close to Christmas Day itself, it is the peak time to purchase your Christmas staples in order to reduce potential food waste post the festivities.
With regards to meat, if you are looking to buy a fresh turkey, the average shelf life is around 2 days after purchase! If you’re looking to freeze it, this increases its longevity significantly by up to 1 year - however be sure to defrost thoroughly.
Surprisingly, brussel sprouts have the second shortest shelf life when it comes to the components of your Christmas dinner with an expected shelf life of around 3 days. In order to maximise their freshness, be sure to refrigerate and store them appropriately.
For those who enjoy stuffing and gravy - they are certainly components you don’t need to worry about with regards to shelf life. If left unopened, gravy granules could be used for Christmas 2024 with a shelf life of 24 months.
What to do with your Christmas leftovers?
In the case of Christmas leftovers, despite our best efforts, a proportion of food waste is inevitable. At InSinkErator we encourage the sustainable disposal of food waste. You can turn your leftover food into different recipes and where possible, composting of inedible food waste is advised.
However where composting is not feasible, an InSinkErator food waste disposer is the ideal solution and an alternative to an unwanted food waste caddy in the effort to divert food waste away from landfill and dispose in a sustainable manner.”
