0:00:02 > 0:00:05There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates -
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14The packaging, I think, is very misleading and it can give people
0:00:14 > 0:00:17the impression they're getting more than they're actually getting.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Whether you're staying in or going out, you've told us you can
0:00:21 > 0:00:24feel ripped off by the promises made from what you eat
0:00:24 > 0:00:27and what you pay for it.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I always say when I get to the till and they tell me...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I say, "Never. It can't... How much?"
0:00:32 > 0:00:36From claims that don't stack up to the secrets behind the packaging,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39we uncover the truth about Britain's food
0:00:39 > 0:00:43so you can be sure you're getting what you expect at the right price.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49Your food. Your money. This is Rip Off Britain.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Hello and welcome to Rip Off Britain,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54where, as ever, we've been very busy fighting your corner,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and investigating whether we're getting value for money.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59That's the important bit.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01But it seems there's one area where we're not always helping
0:01:01 > 0:01:04ourselves or, indeed, our finances.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Now, according to the latest figures, between us,
0:01:06 > 0:01:11every year we throw away perfectly good food worth a total of -
0:01:11 > 0:01:16wait for this - £12.5 billion. It's absolutely obscene.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Well, put it another way - four million tonnes of the stuff
0:01:19 > 0:01:21is going straight in the bin.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And these days when budgets are tight,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27and food costs are rising, it's money we can't afford to lose.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Totally. So today, we'll be looking at some of the ways that we
0:01:30 > 0:01:32and, crucially, the industry itself,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36can reduce all that waste and, hopefully, our bills.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And then along the way, we'll be revealing some surprising
0:01:39 > 0:01:42things about some of the foods we most commonly throw away.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Coming up, we throw stacks of it away unopened
0:01:47 > 0:01:50but there's another danger lurking inside our salad bags.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54I just was in agony and it was from a bag of salad.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I was shocked because you don't think it would come from that.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01And we join a mission to salvage some of the wasted vegetables
0:02:01 > 0:02:05that are considered too ugly for the supermarket shelves.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09I just find it incredible that all these pumpkins are going to waste.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12If you think about the amount of people that they can feed,
0:02:12 > 0:02:13it's ridiculous.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Now, it's estimated that families waste on average £700 a year
0:02:19 > 0:02:22on food that's thrown in the bin and one of the main reasons
0:02:22 > 0:02:25we do it is because of the date on the packaging.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Once that's passed, we think it's no good to eat, perhaps even risky.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31So guess what? It goes in the bin.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35But chances are most of what we're chucking away is absolutely fine -
0:02:35 > 0:02:37like this cake, for example.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42And it might be because of confusion between best-before, display-until
0:02:42 > 0:02:47and use-by dates that food which looks and smells OK is being wasted.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50So which of those labels should we be taking notice of
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and which can we ignore?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Now, there can't be many of us who haven't
0:02:54 > 0:02:57at some point found ourselves sniffing food in the fridge
0:02:57 > 0:03:01that's just gone out of date, wondering if it's still safe to eat.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Whether it's cheese with a hint of mould,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06milk that might just make your stomach turn sour,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09or meat that's taken on a funny colour,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13we've probably all wondered whether to tuck in or chuck it in the bin.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Of course, you should always be careful about safety,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20particularly if you're elderly, pregnant or, indeed, in ill health.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23But do we really have to throw away every single bit of food
0:03:23 > 0:03:26that simply says on the packaging it's past its best?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Before the 1950s, dates on our food just didn't exist.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35We would rely on our sense of smell to work out whether we should
0:03:35 > 0:03:38eat something or not and whether it could harm us by doing so.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41It was Marks & Spencer who first came up with
0:03:41 > 0:03:42the best-before date.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45At the beginning, it was just for use in its storerooms.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49But then in 1996, the EU food labelling directive
0:03:49 > 0:03:52came into place, making it law that perishable foods,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55such as dairy products, fish and meat,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58have to be marked with a "use by" date,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01giving a clear timescale for how long food
0:04:01 > 0:04:03remains safe for consumption.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07But it's not only the "use by" date that we see stamped on our food.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11There's also the "display until", never mind the "best before."
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Our food packaging is absolutely full of all sorts of warnings and dates -
0:04:16 > 0:04:19so is there any wonder we end up totally bewildered
0:04:19 > 0:04:22about what food is safe or not safe to eat?
0:04:22 > 0:04:23And maybe on some occasions,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26we end up wasting money by chucking good food in the bin.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31'Dr Lisa Ackerley is a food microbiologist.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35'I've come to meet her in the hope she'll unpick some of the confusion
0:04:35 > 0:04:39'and help us avoid wasting so much perfectly good food and money.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:40I find it very confusing
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and I think a lot of people would be with me on this.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49Sell by, best before, eat by, use by - it is very confusing,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51so what's the general rule of thumb?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53So, best before, you can eat beyond the date
0:04:53 > 0:04:54and it wouldn't do you any harm.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58You use your eyes and your senses to see whether or not you want to eat it.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02With the use-by date, that tends to be for the more perishable foods,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04which could potentially become a safety risk.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06So, with use by,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09is it illegal for the shop to have on the shelf
0:05:09 > 0:05:10anything that says "use by"?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12If it is beyond the use-by date,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14then it is illegal for the shops to sell it
0:05:14 > 0:05:18and also for caterers to sell foods beyond the use-by date, as well.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24But do we really need to be so hung up about the dates on the packaging?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Adrian Williamson wrote to us in utter frustration
0:05:26 > 0:05:31about how much food he ends up binning because it's gone beyond the recommendation.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36I think it's the bonus and piggy-back offers
0:05:36 > 0:05:41where you might get two of these meals at a price.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44You might stock up with four of those but in fact, if you do so,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47you might waste one in the process.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49I think people are very confused
0:05:49 > 0:05:55and there is no guidance on the pack to explain to customers how long
0:05:55 > 0:06:01a product might last beyond a particular expression on the pack.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So Lisa has agreed to do a risk assessment
0:06:04 > 0:06:06of typical food items you might have in your fridge,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10to see what's safe to eat and what needs chucking.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12I think actually from the bottom shelf where it should be -
0:06:12 > 0:06:14because meat should be on the bottom shelf -
0:06:14 > 0:06:17take the chicken. Now, if you look at this,
0:06:17 > 0:06:22in fact, I am a week within the date but it just looks manky.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24And quite frankly, I wouldn't want to eat that
0:06:24 > 0:06:26even though it's within the use by date.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Smells awful, doesn't it?- It does. Will we take the wrapper off?
0:06:29 > 0:06:30With chicken, obviously,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33you're going to cook it thoroughly all the way through.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35So if there were dangerous bacteria on there,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38then they would be destroyed by the cooking process.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- Even if the chicken doesn't smell that good?- Yeah.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42The thing is, it wouldn't taste very nice either.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45So what's happened here? The original seal has broken
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and had a piece of chicken out of it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- It is disgusting. - That is absolutely foul.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52You would not want to touch that at all.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Now, I don't think that would necessarily make you ill
0:06:55 > 0:06:57but it would be absolutely disgusting to eat.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Now, I suspect what's happened to this is that it's actually
0:06:59 > 0:07:02suffered from poor temperature control
0:07:02 > 0:07:05or lack of temperature control, so probably what's happened is
0:07:05 > 0:07:08the pack's been opened - that immediately changes things anyway.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11This is where a bit of sensibility comes in
0:07:11 > 0:07:14because, as I say, this is a week within the use-by date.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17That is awful.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22Something has happened to that chicken in terms of temperature -
0:07:22 > 0:07:23it has been kept too warm,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and so the bacteria have started to grow.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29And this is a really important point because the use-by date is given
0:07:29 > 0:07:33to us on the basis that we are going to look after the food.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35So if we don't keep it as recommended -
0:07:35 > 0:07:39in other words, in the fridge - then bacteria can start to
0:07:39 > 0:07:42grow quicker and that means the food will actually go off quicker.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45So it seems that unless you store your food correctly,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47including following instructions
0:07:47 > 0:07:50about how many days you can use it for once it's been opened,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53the sell-by dates on the packet can mean nothing.
0:07:53 > 0:08:00Let's see what we have. I might actually take eggs next.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Those, again, part of a stable diet.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Now, I'll be honest with you.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Sometimes I do use eggs beyond the use-by date.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11So...I haven't got my glasses on. Have to get my glasses on and read the thing!
0:08:11 > 0:08:16What does that say? Yeah, so this is about a week - over a week - out of date.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I think I would probably use those.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21The latest advice is that you can use the eggs after
0:08:21 > 0:08:25the best-before date - these have best before on them -
0:08:25 > 0:08:28but only if you cook them thoroughly.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- So, not a fried egg, for example... - Not a runny egg.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32..cos that's too runny.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37With these eggs though, these have got a lion on them, you can see.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39That gives us a guarantee
0:08:39 > 0:08:41that they've come from a salmonella-vaccinated flock.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44It doesn't mean that they're guaranteed to be salmonella-free,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49so there may be some risk, but this means it is much better.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53There's some tests you can do to see if the eggs are still all right.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55One with water. So, what's the theory, then?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Well, the theory is if it's an old egg, it will float to the top.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Dropped to the bottom. That's OK, isn't it?- Yep.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06It's a good test.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Official guidelines say it's OK to eat eggs a day or two after
0:09:09 > 0:09:12the best-before date - provided they're thoroughly cooked.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14But what if something really pongs?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Is that always a sign that you shouldn't eat it?
0:09:17 > 0:09:21This one is only just - it's only about a day out of time.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23So, let's open it up and see how we're going.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Now, that looks pretty all right to me.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29If it's pasteurised cheese, then I wouldn't be too concerned
0:09:29 > 0:09:32that it's gone a little bit over the date.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34It looks fine.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36If it was unpasteurised cheese, then there is a potential there
0:09:36 > 0:09:39for certain bacteria to be there that you wouldn't want to eat.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41The longer you keep them in the fridge,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43the longer the chance is for them to build up.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47When we asked shoppers how much food they threw away,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50it was reassuring to hear that with some foods at least,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54we're not all slaves to the sell-by date.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58If I have to, I tend to go by my nose and my eyes
0:09:58 > 0:10:01more than the label on the bottle.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06If it's a day or so over its sell-by date, I will.
0:10:06 > 0:10:13If my nose and my eyes tell me it's OK, I will eat it.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16We're not so strict about the date.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Certainly with meat, cos I think it's better if it's matured.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24'But our sense of smell may not uncover every harmful bacteria
0:10:24 > 0:10:26'that's lurking.'
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Now, what other goodies do I have in here?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33On the top shelf, we have some ham.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Now, again, this is a staple in a lot of people's fridge.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Absolutely, yeah. This a ready-to-eat food.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44And it's got a use-by date that has expired, well, over a week ago.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47So there's a potential danger with this,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49because there may be bacteria on there.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Also, because it's been opened, the pack is no longer intact,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55so somebody has been going in there and getting slices out.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Smells OK, actually.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I'll tell you something that people may not be aware of,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06and that is that we have on our skin bacteria called staflogofasourus
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and about a third of the population carry that.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11It's fine on our skin normally but when it gets onto something
0:11:11 > 0:11:15like ham, it can actually grow. And when it grows, it produces toxins.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16And if you eat those toxins,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19then you can be violently sick within hours of eating it.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21So, by taking a few slices out already,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24that could have gone onto the ham.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Yes, hands... Because we know that this pack's been opened, hands could have contaminated that.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29So, would you eat this?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32No. Absolutely not, no, and I wouldn't give it to anybody.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Not even the dog?- No, no.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38So what does all of this mean for what we should
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and shouldn't be putting straight in the bin once that date is up?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I think, though, there is a culture
0:11:44 > 0:11:47of being lured in by all the special offers.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50And I do this myself - I tend to still buy for five
0:11:50 > 0:11:52forgetting that there's two people living there.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- Because chances are we're not going to eat all that.- No.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Make your freezer your best friend. Just get the stuff cheaper,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03but put half of it in the freezer and then use it at another date.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And I absolutely hate wastage of food.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And I try not to buy too much food and my children moan,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11cos they always say the fridge is empty.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I'd rather have an empty fridge, knowing that I'm not wasting food,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and use something from the freezer when we're hungry
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and make something up from what we've already got.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Of course, we're not all as good at watching our food waste as Lisa
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and the average household in the UK chucks away
0:12:28 > 0:12:31£60 worth of food and drink every month.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33But if these shoppers are anything to go by,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35perhaps we are getting a bit more savvy
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and learning not to throw away money in the bin
0:12:38 > 0:12:42by getting rid of food that may still be very useable and safe.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I don't think I throw anything away
0:12:44 > 0:12:48because I'm always hungry so I'm always eating.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I usually go by the sell-by date.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53But if it's something like cheese or certain foods,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56you know they'll last a bit longer anyway.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59So if they've not been opened, I'll eat it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07The busier we are, the less time we have
0:13:07 > 0:13:09to prepare our food from scratch
0:13:09 > 0:13:11using lovely fresh ingredients like these.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And food manufacturers know there's money to be made
0:13:14 > 0:13:17out of our need for culinary speed.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20One of the time-saving products that has become hugely popular
0:13:20 > 0:13:22in recent years is pre-bagged salad,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25a supermarket staple many of us have grown to rely on.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29In fact, two thirds of UK households are thought to buy it regularly
0:13:29 > 0:13:32because it's handy and nutritious.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34But next time you tear open that bag of leaves,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37there are a few things you might want to think about
0:13:37 > 0:13:39before you reach for the dressing.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44In days of old, if you wanted a nice salad with your meal
0:13:44 > 0:13:47there was only one way of doing it.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I'm just going to take a bit, or a couple them.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Don't mix more than three kinds.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55You'd need to buy a lettuce, wash it, chop, tear
0:13:55 > 0:13:56and then serve.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00They even had to show you how to do it on TV!
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Little bit of a tossing and turning
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and we're off to the races.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Well, how things have changed.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13These days, our salad comes packaged, washed and ready to eat
0:14:13 > 0:14:14and what's not to love...
0:14:16 > 0:14:17..about that?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I buy bagged salad cos it's easy.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22It's quick just to open and put on your plate.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It's already pre-washed.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26If you have to buy it all separately,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28then it seems to cost more.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I'd rather buy fresh salad, which I should do, really.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34But it's quick and easy, the packet one.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38It's hard to remember the time before salad equalled bagged.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42The first to appear was a humble packet of shredded iceberg
0:14:42 > 0:14:45that was considered ever so sophisticated
0:14:45 > 0:14:49when it landed on the shelves of Marks & Spencer in 1986.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Today, we've come a long way.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53From Radicchio to Lollo Rosso,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56whether you like your leaves crispy, sharp or sweet,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58there's a bag for you.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01As a nation, we have truly fallen in love
0:15:01 > 0:15:03with ready-prepared salad.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05But food journalist Joanna Blythman
0:15:05 > 0:15:09is among those not so enamoured of these instant greens.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Well, before the sort of 1990s,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15we really didn't eat that much salad in Britain.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Salad was a summer thing.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19And the rest of the year,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23we tended to cook vegetables and serve them hot.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24But salads have really caught on.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25And of course,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29supermarkets have been very astute about buying into that
0:15:29 > 0:15:34because it's a very profitable way for them to sell us salad leaves.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39They can make far more money on bags of salads, mixed salads,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41than they can on selling us a whole lettuce.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Last year, we munched our way through
0:15:45 > 0:15:49more than 461 million bags and bowls of the stuff.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51But when it comes to our love affair
0:15:51 > 0:15:53with those bags of convenience,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55have we fallen for a wrong 'un?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I think you'll often find when you get a bag of salad leaves,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59you'll buy a bag thinking,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01"That's good - that will do two meals."
0:16:01 > 0:16:04You'll take it home, you'll use the first lot,
0:16:04 > 0:16:05you'll put it in the fridge,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07and then you'll come back to this and think,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10"Gosh, these really are looking very clapped out."
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I mean, they have just collapsed,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16they look like thirsty house-plants that have been neglected.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19It also leads to a large amount of waste.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I used to buy the bags but I've stopped buying the bags now
0:16:21 > 0:16:24because I threw so much away.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27So now we just buy a proper lettuce.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30It doesn't last as long and it's quite expensive.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33So I used to buy bagged salad
0:16:33 > 0:16:35but I found that it went off very quickly,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37much quicker than just buying an ordinary lettuce,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41so I stopped buying it. And it's more expensive.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46It is estimated that as much as 68% of all bagged salad goes to waste.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48So serious is the problem that last autumn,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Britain's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53said it would be ending so-called BOGOF -
0:16:53 > 0:16:55buy one get one free - promotions
0:16:55 > 0:16:57on large bags of salad.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01But while we might bin masses of it uneaten,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03at least can take comfort in knowing
0:17:03 > 0:17:05that all that bagged salad is good for us.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Although perhaps not quite as good as you might think.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13You have to eat an awful lot of salad to get, sort of,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15really significant nutrition,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18or to come anywhere near to what you would get
0:17:18 > 0:17:20if you served if you served, say, cooked broccoli.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24In fact, for salad to count as one of your five a day,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27you'll need to eat a cereal bowl full of leaves,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30not just a few on the side.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33What we are eating is doing us less good than we hope
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and sometimes those little green leaves
0:17:36 > 0:17:40can be harbouring a dirty little secret.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45Watercress has been recalled by Sainsbury's due to an E. coli outbreak.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47200,000 bags have been recalled,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49following a Food Standards Agency alert.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Last year, Sainsbury's withdrew
0:17:54 > 0:17:57all its bagged salad products containing watercress
0:17:57 > 0:18:00because of a possible link to an outbreak of E. coli
0:18:00 > 0:18:02which saw 19 people fall ill,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06seven of whom ended up in hospital.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Public Health England have confirmed that bagged watercress
0:18:09 > 0:18:11was the cause of the outbreak.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14But Sainsbury's insist that the strain...
0:18:18 > 0:18:21And that the withdrawal from the shelves was...
0:18:23 > 0:18:24Professor Hugh Pennington
0:18:24 > 0:18:27is one of the country's leading microbiologists
0:18:27 > 0:18:29and food safety experts.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32And he's adamant that the wash our salad gets
0:18:32 > 0:18:34before it goes in the bag
0:18:34 > 0:18:36isn't enough to kill all the bugs.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The washing is more of a... It's a sort of rinse, rather than a wash.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44And the rinse will remove, say, 90% of the bugs that are there,
0:18:44 > 0:18:45or maybe even 99% of the bugs.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48But because you might have millions of bugs there -
0:18:48 > 0:18:51not normally, but you could have -
0:18:51 > 0:18:5499% of a million is still a lot.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Most of the time, most of the bugs on the salad are quite harmless.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00But occasionally we get these outbreaks,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04where these bugs that shouldn't be there have got there.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Becci Lloyd knows only too well
0:19:07 > 0:19:11how nasty the consequences of unexpected bugs in bagged salad can be.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I was working in the bar.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17I had lasagne for tea, lasagne and a bit of side salad.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I was fine after work. I think it was the next couple of days,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I just was in agony.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27And then obviously I was on the toilet quite a lot.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And I went to the doctors
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and they basically said to me, "You've got a gastro bug."
0:19:32 > 0:19:36But it turned out to be far from an everyday tummy bug.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39The symptoms persisted for over a fortnight.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I just thought, "What is this pain?"
0:19:41 > 0:19:44It was like waves of pain.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Like, it would just be fine and then all of a sudden
0:19:46 > 0:19:49it'd feel like my whole body was... I just couldn't move.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Like, it was just horrible.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52And then I had to...
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I genuinely thought it was my appendix.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I thought, "Is my appendix going to burst?
0:19:57 > 0:20:00"What other pain is this, what is inside my stomach?"
0:20:00 > 0:20:01After further tests,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Becci's doctor confirmed it was Cryptosporidium infection,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08a nasty illness caused by a parasite.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Understandably, Becci wanted to know how she'd caught it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Well, my friend had it at the same time.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18She contacted me and told me
0:20:18 > 0:20:21that she'd found out that it was from the bagged salad. And...
0:20:22 > 0:20:24..I was actually shocked
0:20:24 > 0:20:27cos obviously I think salad's, like, a really clean thing.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29You just don't think that it'd come from that.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Becci was just one victim
0:20:33 > 0:20:36in an outbreak that saw around 300 people fall ill
0:20:36 > 0:20:39across England and Scotland in May 2012.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The Health Protection Agency said there was "strong evidence"
0:20:42 > 0:20:47of a link to bagged salad that had been labelled "ready to eat."
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And in fact, almost all of the bagged salad we buy
0:20:49 > 0:20:51has these words clearly displayed.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55It means the leaves have been washed.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57But Professor Pennington says that's not enough
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and that holding the lettuce under the kitchen tap
0:21:00 > 0:21:02needs to make a comeback.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05My personal preference would just be to give it that added rinse
0:21:05 > 0:21:07under basic tap water.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Because although those products are inherently safe
0:21:11 > 0:21:14you can't guarantee that 100%.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So if it's a good idea to wash bagged salad again,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20should it really be labelled as ready to eat?
0:21:20 > 0:21:23We asked the body that speaks for the bagged salad industry,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27the British Leafy Salads Association, just that.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31It told us that fresh-prepared salad leaves are...
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Prepared salad bags are...
0:21:43 > 0:21:44...and are...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54They added that the advice from the Food Standards Agency
0:21:54 > 0:21:56is that if a bag of salad has been labelled
0:21:56 > 0:21:58as washed and ready to eat...
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Of course, when something saves us time
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and makes our lives easier,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09it might be that no amount of criticism
0:22:09 > 0:22:11can put us off using it.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So the best advice is to choose bags
0:22:13 > 0:22:15with the longest use-by dates as possible
0:22:15 > 0:22:17and eat them as soon as you can.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20So if there is any bacteria lurking on the leaves,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23there's less chance of it multiplying.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25At the end of the day,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29salads are obviously good for you from a nutritional point of view.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32They're a safe food.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36But if you really want to make it absolutely as safe as you can,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40knowing that there's always going to be a very small risk,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43go to a supplier you trust
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and I like this idea of giving it a wash
0:22:45 > 0:22:47before you put it on the plate.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Still to come on Rip Off Britain...
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It's been out of favour for a while
0:22:58 > 0:22:59but we'll reveal why frozen food
0:22:59 > 0:23:03could be the answer to some of our food waste problems.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It's absolutely fresher. It hasn't degraded over time.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09So you've got your nutrition element, the waste element,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11the convenience element.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Now if, like me, you were brought up to finish what's on your plate
0:23:14 > 0:23:16before you could leave the table,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18you will be horrified by the amount of food
0:23:18 > 0:23:20wasted in the UK every single day.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Because while most of us have ended up
0:23:22 > 0:23:24chucking out what's left -
0:23:24 > 0:23:27oh, I don't know, some gone-off cheese or mouldy veg -
0:23:27 > 0:23:29it seems that the problem is on a far bigger scale.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32A recent study by Britain's biggest supermarket
0:23:32 > 0:23:34found that we throw away - wait for this -
0:23:34 > 0:23:36almost half the bakery products
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and 40% of the apples we buy.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40I think really shocking figures.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44But how much is it simply the consumers' responsibility for waste?
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Or could it be that,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49thanks to the practices of some of the supermarket giants themselves,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51an awful lot more food is wasted
0:23:51 > 0:23:54before it ever makes it to our kitchen table?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00These people are on their way to a very unusual harvest -
0:24:00 > 0:24:03one that's been happening for hundreds of years
0:24:03 > 0:24:06but in the modern age of food waste has extra benefit.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11So it's going in and getting crops
0:24:11 > 0:24:14that might not go to the shops
0:24:14 > 0:24:17or that have... After the harvest is passed
0:24:17 > 0:24:20that are left in the field, possibly to rot,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22which is a shame.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Yeah, like perfectly good veg or fruit.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Josie, Katie, Sarah and Ilona
0:24:27 > 0:24:30are members of what's known as the Gleaning Network,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33groups of volunteers who go into farms right across the UK
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and pick the fruit and veg that farmers can't sell.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40It might be that someone somewhere in an office decides
0:24:40 > 0:24:43that it's no longer the season for a certain veg
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and so they don't want it any more.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Or it might be that it's not the right shape
0:24:47 > 0:24:50or not the right size or...
0:24:50 > 0:24:52A lot of supermarkets reject fruit and veg
0:24:52 > 0:24:56because they're not straight enough or they're too wonky or whatever.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03Once picked, the gleaners' harvest is donated to food banks or charities
0:25:03 > 0:25:05and goes some way to helping people who can't always afford
0:25:05 > 0:25:07fresh fruit and veg.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Gleaning has been going on for centuries.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14When farmers know that they can't sell their entire crop,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17it doesn't always make sense to spend money harvesting it.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20So it's often left in the ground to simply rot.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Now, gleaning stops that food going to waste.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Since campaigns encouraging us to reduce
0:25:26 > 0:25:30the amount of food we throw away at home began in 2007,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34household food waste has dropped by a fifth.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37But last year, the spotlight turned onto the food that's thrown away
0:25:37 > 0:25:41before it even gets in to our kitchen cupboards.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45'A mountain of rubbish, piles of household waste.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'Look more closely and you see about a third of it is food.'
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Britain's largest supermarket, Tesco,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55revealed that in the first six months of 2013
0:25:55 > 0:26:00it threw away almost 30,000 tonnes of food.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03They also revealed that on average, the chain throws away
0:26:03 > 0:26:06almost 1,000 tonnes of fresh fruit and veg every month -
0:26:06 > 0:26:09enough to make more than four million smoothies
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and the same weight, if you can believe it,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13as seven blue whales.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Of course, everything that Tesco threw away
0:26:16 > 0:26:20had already been picked, packed and put on the shelves beforehand.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22But back on the farm in Wiltshire,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Josie and the gleaners are dealing with the food that's wasted
0:26:25 > 0:26:28because the supermarkets don't even want to buy it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30These pumpkins, for example,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32were too small for the farmer to sell,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34so they were left in the ground to rot.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37I just find it incredible
0:26:37 > 0:26:40that all these pumpkins are going to waste.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44And we've been told that these are pumpkins
0:26:44 > 0:26:46that are grown for lanterns
0:26:46 > 0:26:47but they're perfectly fine to eat.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51If you think about the amount of people that they can feed,
0:26:51 > 0:26:52it's ridiculous!
0:26:52 > 0:26:55After the gleaners have picked them,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58these pumpkins will go to a local charity.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00It just makes me really happy that we're here today
0:27:00 > 0:27:03to take this vegetable
0:27:03 > 0:27:06and matchmake it with hungry people in the country.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12What we're looking for is pumpkins that don't have any soft bits on them
0:27:12 > 0:27:13or bruising,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16because it will affect them when they go into storage.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19So if this is rotten,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21then it will make the other pumpkins rot.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25But if they're slightly blemished, I think that's fine.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I genuinely expected there'd be, like,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32maybe a few pumpkins left over at the side of the field.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I didn't think it was going to be, like, an actual avenue
0:27:35 > 0:27:38of completely perfect fruit.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42These pumpkins are a casualty of supermarkets' demands
0:27:42 > 0:27:44for attractive, uniform fruit and veg.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Farmers get the highest prices
0:27:46 > 0:27:48for produce that's just the right size
0:27:48 > 0:27:49and just the right colour
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and just the right weight.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Anything outside the supermarkets' guidelines
0:27:53 > 0:27:55might be worthless.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Speaking of pretty things, here's a pretty thing.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It's a carrot sent to us by Mrs Sally Woss.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01She says,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04"We really must hand it to you."
0:28:04 > 0:28:06You certainly won't find anything
0:28:06 > 0:28:08that would be worthy of a funny-shaped veg competition
0:28:08 > 0:28:11at your local supermarket.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14It's been claimed that to keep their produce looking perfect,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18the big chains reject apples if more than 10% of the skin
0:28:18 > 0:28:20is too green or too yellow.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22And that tomatoes are discarded
0:28:22 > 0:28:26if they aren't uniform in colour and free from lumps and bumps.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Well, we asked the supermarkets,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29as well as growers, packers
0:28:29 > 0:28:31and trade bodies in the world of fruit and veg,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33how many of those rumours are true.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I'm afraid they weren't telling!
0:28:36 > 0:28:39But it's estimated that before it can even get
0:28:39 > 0:28:40anywhere near the shelves,
0:28:40 > 0:28:45the supermarkets deem about 40% of our fruit and veg unsellable.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Now, campaigners say there are other ways
0:28:47 > 0:28:49that the demands of the supermarkets,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51and their massive buying power,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53can lead to waste.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Retailers will specify to farmers
0:28:56 > 0:28:59that they need to supply a certain amount of produce
0:28:59 > 0:29:01on a pre-defined date.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03That means that the farmer,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06in order to not risk losing some of their money,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08maybe missing that contract the next time,
0:29:08 > 0:29:09will actually over-produce
0:29:09 > 0:29:12the amount of fruit and vegetables that they're supplying.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Which means that there's wastage
0:29:14 > 0:29:16if he can't, or she can't, find a suitable outlet.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21The majority of that wasted crop is fit to eat.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23And one of the side-effects of this
0:29:23 > 0:29:27is that we end up paying more for the privilege of pretty produce.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Consumers want their carrots to be straight and not knobbly
0:29:31 > 0:29:34because they're easier to peel,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37whereas a lot of other carrots are perfectly edible to eat.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40There is a price knock-on for consumers
0:29:40 > 0:29:42because you're paying for that quality.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44And if that quality is just based upon the look
0:29:44 > 0:29:46rather than the taste of the product,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48that's almost an artificial barrier.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Wasted veg isn't just a British problem.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55But we're very slow to catch on to a trend
0:29:55 > 0:29:57that's already taken hold in Europe.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59In fact, a new restaurant in Copenhagen
0:29:59 > 0:30:01has been founded with a specific mission -
0:30:01 > 0:30:05to use ingredients that the food industry has discarded,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07surplus fruit and veg that can't be sold.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12But there are signs that some supermarkets in the UK
0:30:12 > 0:30:14are changing their demanding standards.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17We are starting to see
0:30:17 > 0:30:19more and more retailers
0:30:19 > 0:30:21getting into the market of selling
0:30:21 > 0:30:23what was I guess originally termed as Class II,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25or second-class produce.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28In fact, when the poor harvest of 2012
0:30:28 > 0:30:32meant that British farms couldn't produce enough fruit and veg,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35some supermarkets relaxed their usual rules on selection
0:30:35 > 0:30:40and started to sell some that would usually be termed as "ugly veg".
0:30:40 > 0:30:43It saved over 300,000 tonnes of food by doing that
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and shows that there is a huge, almost artificial, barrier
0:30:46 > 0:30:50to getting food that is affordable, that is perfectly good to eat,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52to everyday consumers.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55We asked the big four supermarkets
0:30:55 > 0:30:58about their attitude to selling "ugly" fruit and veg.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Sainsbury's confirmed that in 2012 it...
0:31:05 > 0:31:07..to support farmers with their...
0:31:09 > 0:31:12It hasn't had to do that since, but say if an orchard produced
0:31:12 > 0:31:15irregular-shaped apples they would go...
0:31:18 > 0:31:20..labelled as being...
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Morrisons also said it had relaxed its specifications on fresh produce...
0:31:33 > 0:31:34Tesco insists it takes...
0:31:35 > 0:31:38..to the produce it sells across all of its ranges,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40with irregular-sized products
0:31:40 > 0:31:42included in the Everyday Value range.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Tesco bosses have also been saying
0:31:46 > 0:31:47that it is we the consumer
0:31:47 > 0:31:49who needs to learn to love wonky veg
0:31:49 > 0:31:52so they can sell us more misshapen produce.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57And Asda, too, said that it offers a choice in different ranges,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59while maintaining that it finds...
0:32:01 > 0:32:04..with the more unusual-shaped ones being processed
0:32:04 > 0:32:07for their diced and grated carrot bags.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10It says the same happens with onions and mushrooms.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15But until our supermarkets make a more regular commitment
0:32:15 > 0:32:18to save lower-grade crops from the compost heap,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21it's down to the gleaners to do it for them.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24And back in Sussex, Josie is putting one of her gleaned pumpkins
0:32:24 > 0:32:26to very good use.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28So had we not turned up,
0:32:28 > 0:32:30this pumpkin would have likely
0:32:30 > 0:32:33just been left in the field to rot.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37Or the farmer may have made a big compost pile
0:32:37 > 0:32:39and it just would have gone to waste.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42And it's perfectly edible,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46so I'm going to make a nice soup out of it to feed the family.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Next, it wasn't that long ago
0:32:58 > 0:33:01that frozen food was a mainstay of our weekly shop,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03and it was certainly a perfect way
0:33:03 > 0:33:05of making food last that little bit longer.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09But in recent years it's fallen distinctly out of fashion
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and we've even seen supermarkets cutting back
0:33:11 > 0:33:14on the space that they give to frozen foods.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16So are we missing a trick here?
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Because when we're all so worried about the cost of what we eat
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and whether or not it's good for us -
0:33:21 > 0:33:24not to mention all that fresh food that apparently goes to waste,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27costing us thousands every year -
0:33:27 > 0:33:30it does seem there are some very good reasons
0:33:30 > 0:33:34why it might be time to give frozen food a second chance.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Back in the days of black-and-white TV
0:33:38 > 0:33:40something new emerged from the ice
0:33:40 > 0:33:43or, more correctly, from the ice boxes
0:33:43 > 0:33:44in our shiny new freezers.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48As the drab post-war world of rationing
0:33:48 > 0:33:50gave way to an era of plenty
0:33:50 > 0:33:54and our kitchens started to get kitted out with mod cons,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57even the food seemed to become more cheerful and optimistic.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00So, if Birds Eye peas are picked mid-morning,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02they're frozen before lunch.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04# Birds Eye peas... #
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Bright, shiny and super-convenient -
0:34:06 > 0:34:10frozen food began to find its place on our plates.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17Fish fingers, frozen peas, and that modern miracle the TV dinner
0:34:17 > 0:34:21all became such a staple part of our diets at one time
0:34:21 > 0:34:23that the freezers to accommodate all that food
0:34:23 > 0:34:25just got bigger and bigger.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29And then, of course, there was the sign of the '70s
0:34:29 > 0:34:32with frozen-food shops springing up on every high street in the country.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37So, just how important did it become?
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Suddenly, you had this new, amazing device in the home
0:34:40 > 0:34:42that allowed you to store food indefinitely
0:34:42 > 0:34:44and it really freed up the housewife -
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and these devices were aimed at housewives -
0:34:47 > 0:34:49and allowed them to do things like go to work,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52and it played a big role in how our society's changed.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55What is the advantage of frozen food
0:34:55 > 0:34:58over buying fresh straight from the supermarket shelves
0:34:58 > 0:35:01or off the counter of a farmer's market?
0:35:01 > 0:35:03It meant that women
0:35:03 > 0:35:05didn't have to cook and shop from scratch every day,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07which is how it used to be done,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09because you didn't have a fridge, you didn't have a freezer.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12The housewife would go out with a basket every day,
0:35:12 > 0:35:13collect ingredients and bring it home.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16And also, it allowed you to bulk-buy and store,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20so it actually lowered the cost of the family expenditure on food.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23But then frozen food met its match -
0:35:23 > 0:35:26and the boffins created an even more convenient way
0:35:26 > 0:35:28to help us avoid actually cooking.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Allied with the "ping" of the microwave,
0:35:31 > 0:35:32the ready meal was born -
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and frozen began to feel distinctly old-fashioned.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Along came chilled food with its kind of sophisticated, urban,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41single, 20-something image.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43It all looked dead fresh and exciting.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45But it's not over yet.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Frozen food may not be quite as popular as it once was,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51but it's certainly not ready to be consigned to the history books.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53In fact, the champions of frozen food
0:35:53 > 0:35:55have what they claim is a big message
0:35:55 > 0:35:59which they think is going to spearhead its comeback.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03You see, they claim that actually frozen food is better for you
0:36:03 > 0:36:07than its more fashionable equivalent of chilled or even fresh.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10That's right - it's not just good for you,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13but nutritionally it is better.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15And the frozen-food industry
0:36:15 > 0:36:17has commissioned independent research to prove it.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The thing about fresh food is that we often don't know
0:36:20 > 0:36:23how long it's taken in terms of its transit time
0:36:23 > 0:36:26from harvest through to arriving into the shops.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Whereas with many frozen foods
0:36:29 > 0:36:32we do know that the time taken between harvesting and processing
0:36:32 > 0:36:34can actually be very short.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37The nutrients within those foods are retained much better
0:36:37 > 0:36:39if they are processed very quickly,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43as opposed to those which are being kept fresh for some time.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47There's a good chance they may have deteriorated during transit.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50In other words, food frozen immediately can sometimes
0:36:50 > 0:36:56retain goodness and nutrients a lot better than the fresh alternative.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59And that's exactly what happens in factories like this one in Norfolk,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03where nutrients are frozen in before they start to decline.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05These peas today have come to us from Louth
0:37:05 > 0:37:08which is approximately an hour and a half travelling time
0:37:08 > 0:37:10from the field they were vined in today.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The first stage in the freezing process
0:37:13 > 0:37:15is to steam the peas for 60 seconds.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20In doing that, we neutralise the enzymes and the bacteria.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Those two elements are the two elements
0:37:22 > 0:37:23that break down in the peas' deterioration.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27It's the steaming that holds the colour, taste and crispness
0:37:27 > 0:37:29inside the product
0:37:29 > 0:37:31before it heads to the next stage - the blast freezer.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34The peas enter into the blast freezer
0:37:34 > 0:37:38and they enter through the wind tunnel, operating at about 60 mph
0:37:38 > 0:37:40at minus 30 to minus 40 degrees.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45It's this act of freezing the product as quickly as possible
0:37:45 > 0:37:48that can help to make the unfashionable frozen choice,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52at least for some veg, healthier than the fresh alternative.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55But are shoppers aware of this?
0:37:55 > 0:37:57- Do you buy frozen or fresh? - I buy frozen.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Would it surprise you if I told you that actually, by buying frozen,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03you're probably getting peas, or vegetables of any sort,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06that have got more vitamins and goodness in them than the fresh ones?
0:38:06 > 0:38:09- Because they're frozen straight from the ground.- Really?- Yeah.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11- Fresh, if I can.- why?
0:38:11 > 0:38:16Erm... It's quicker to cook, I think it's better for you.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19I don't know, you tell me. Why do I buy fresh over frozen?
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Frozen foods have usually got rather more vitamins and things in them
0:38:23 > 0:38:24than the fresh, simply because
0:38:24 > 0:38:27they're frozen straight from the ground.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29- Right, OK. So...- And it may take a few hours or a day or two
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- before you get the fresh ones. - OK, that's a good point.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35- I would probably prefer the fresh. - Why?- Just because they're...
0:38:35 > 0:38:38I assume they're fresher, they would taste slightly better.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40But with the frozen,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43obviously, from a convenience point of view, it keeps longer.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48Well, it might interest you, then, to know that the frozen vegetables
0:38:48 > 0:38:51are very often full of more vitamins and goodness.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Oh, right, well, OK. Well, maybe frozen's OK, then.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57I find the frozen ones are much easier.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59It's a psychological thing
0:38:59 > 0:39:01about buying fresh vegetables and cooking them.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03It's a psychological thing - that's all it is.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Well, it seems there are still some of us who need convincing
0:39:06 > 0:39:08to turn back to frozen food.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10But there's going to be one thing
0:39:10 > 0:39:12really will help to make our minds up -
0:39:12 > 0:39:14and that's the cost.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20It doesn't take an awful lot of research online
0:39:20 > 0:39:23to realise that there's a huge difference in price
0:39:23 > 0:39:25between fresh and frozen produce.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30Let's, for example, take a nice simple vegetable - the pea.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32And if you search online
0:39:32 > 0:39:35for the four largest supermarkets in this country
0:39:35 > 0:39:39you'll see that the price difference is absolutely stark.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41As much as 1,000%.
0:39:41 > 0:39:42Now, at Tesco's, for instance,
0:39:42 > 0:39:47you can buy a kilo of frozen peas for 99p.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Whereas their Fresh & Easy hand-picked peas -
0:39:50 > 0:39:54the fresh equivalent - is £10 a kilo.
0:39:54 > 0:39:59Even their poshest, their Finest frozen peas,
0:39:59 > 0:40:04are £2 a kilo, which is five times less than the fresh equivalent.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06And it is pretty much the same story
0:40:06 > 0:40:09with the other supermarkets we checked out.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11With price differences that significant
0:40:11 > 0:40:15you'd think that we'd all be tempted to fill up our freezers.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17But, like all foods, you need to check
0:40:17 > 0:40:20exactly what is in the product you're buying.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24Because, as those frozen lasagnes with added horsemeat proved,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28frozen food doesn't always mean great food.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Some frozen products are terrific things to have
0:40:32 > 0:40:34as a standby in your freezer.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Frozen peas, frozen raspberries - fantastic.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40But you have to keep a lookout for the cheap stuff.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42If it's cheap, ask yourself why.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Have a very careful look at the ingredients list.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49If it's got a very long ingredients list in tiny letters
0:40:49 > 0:40:51with lots of stuff that you've never heard of,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53I'd give it a bit of a swerve.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55It takes a lot of time, care and money
0:40:55 > 0:40:58to produce good-quality meat and meat products,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01so if it's cheap I would be very suspicious.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Read the label carefully and maybe buy something else.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09So maybe there's a very good reason
0:41:09 > 0:41:11for us to look afresh at the frozen aisle.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15You've got the nutritionist element, the waste element,
0:41:15 > 0:41:17the convenience element - frozen food's a winner.
0:41:22 > 0:41:23Here at Rip Off Britain,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25we're always ready to investigate
0:41:25 > 0:41:28more of your stories on any subject -
0:41:28 > 0:41:30confused over your bills,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34or just trying to wade through never-ending small print.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36When they sit you down to sign up for things,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39they don't really give you the chance or the time
0:41:39 > 0:41:41to read through all of that small print.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Maybe you're unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out
0:41:44 > 0:41:48and that so-called "great deal" has ended up costing you money.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51These people have ripped me off,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53well and truly.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Or you might have a cautionary tale of your own
0:41:56 > 0:41:59and want to share the mistakes you made with us.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03You can write to us at...
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Or send us an e-mail to...
0:42:15 > 0:42:19The Rip Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23Well, it's clear that we can all do our bit
0:42:23 > 0:42:26to reduce the amount of food we throw away.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29But, as we've seen, it's not all down to us.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31And there's plenty more the food industry,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33and especially the supermarkets, can do
0:42:33 > 0:42:36to cut these shocking levels of waste.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38This programme's really made me think about it all
0:42:38 > 0:42:40because I am a bit wasteful and I buy too much.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41Guilty - me, too.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44We can all start, you know, by only putting in our trolley
0:42:44 > 0:42:47what we know we actually need and are going to use.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50And, of course, rediscovering that good old faithful, the freezer,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52before putting stuff in the bin.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Well, that's where we have to leave it for today,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58but we'll be back investigating more stories to do with food very soon.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00So, until then, thanks for watching and, from all of us here,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02- bye-bye.- Bye-bye.