0:00:02 > 0:00:05There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10And the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13You think you're getting a bargain and you're not really,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15they're just encouraging you to buy more of a product
0:00:15 > 0:00:16when you don't need to.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Whether you're staying in or going out, you've told us you can feel
0:00:20 > 0:00:25ripped off by promises made about what you eat and what you pay for it.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27What really winds me up, I suppose, is the price of so-called
0:00:27 > 0:00:30healthy food in comparison with the unhealthy stuff.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32The unhealthy stuff seems to be so much cheaper.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34From claims that just don't stack up,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36to the secrets behind the packaging,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food, so that you can
0:00:40 > 0:00:44be sure that you're getting what you expect at the right price.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Your food, your money,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48this is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Hello, and welcome once again to Rip-Off Britain,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56where in this special series we're uncovering
0:00:56 > 0:00:59the secrets of the foods that we all eat every day.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01And when you hear some of the stories that we've lined up,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04believe me, you'll understand why the industry might just prefer
0:01:04 > 0:01:08to keep some of these things well and truly hidden.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10That's because today we're investigating something
0:01:10 > 0:01:13that you'd think should be really simple.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17If something's described as fresh, how fresh does it have to be?
0:01:17 > 0:01:19What does fresh really mean?
0:01:19 > 0:01:21The answers may be quite a surprise.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And those answers could save you money as well.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Because as well as exposing the foods that aren't as fresh
0:01:26 > 0:01:29as you'd expect, we're also going to be revealing
0:01:29 > 0:01:32which of those long-forgotten ingredients that are lurking
0:01:32 > 0:01:35at the back of your cupboard are still absolutely fine to eat.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37- And how many of those have we all got?- Many.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39So if you're planning a kitchen clear-out,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43don't throw anything away until AFTER you've seen this programme.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Coming up, why there really is something fishy
0:01:47 > 0:01:50about some of the food we buy from the supermarket fish counter.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55We've a test to sniff out how much isn't good enough to eat.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Absolutely no flavour.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00No, it's off.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05And a woman who thinks nothing about sprinkling 30-year-old herbs
0:02:05 > 0:02:06into her dinner.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09So, is that frugal cooking at its best?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Or a health and safety disaster waiting to happen?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15They're a bit vintage really but it doesn't matter to me,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17as long as they smell all right and they taste all right,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19then I'll use them.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Whenever you buy fresh fish from a supermarket fish counter,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28you probably have a pretty clear idea
0:02:28 > 0:02:31of how fresh you expect it to be.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Well, you may remember that last year
0:02:33 > 0:02:35we put that freshness to the test.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And were surprised to find that the fish we bought
0:02:37 > 0:02:42at four different supermarkets was not as fresh as you'd expect.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44In fact, some of it was even off.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46And it was likely to have been caught
0:02:46 > 0:02:49at least two weeks before we bought it.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Now, we found those results pretty shocking.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53But were they just a one-off?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, to find out, we've been back to the lab.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59So the next time you buy fresh fish from the supermarket,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03how likely is it that it really is going to be fresh?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07When it comes to fish, the fresher the better.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11In fact, we eat one-and-a-half billion pounds worth of fresh fish
0:03:11 > 0:03:14every year. And we're turning our backs on the frozen kind
0:03:14 > 0:03:18in favour of the freshest fish that we can find.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20But unless you're lucky enough to live by the sea,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23you probably get yours from the local supermarket.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And what you're buying may well have had a longer journey
0:03:26 > 0:03:29from sea to shelf than you think.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Last year, we tested the freshness of fish
0:03:31 > 0:03:34from supermarkets in Taunton.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36And the results were pretty dire.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Now, there's something not quite right with this one.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Um...there are off odours. Sorry, it's off.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Richard Chivers has 30 years' experience testing fish
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and he tested our samples using the industry standard Torry scale,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55which relies on a combination of taste and smell.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58He was horrified by what he found.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04At least 50% of the fish was not of a satisfactory quality to be sold.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07When we told supermarkets about our results,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11some were shocked, several more were disappointed
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and at least one thought that it might have been a one-off result.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19But one year on then, we thought we would see what would happen
0:04:19 > 0:04:21if we tested even more fresh fish
0:04:21 > 0:04:24from an even wider selection of supermarkets.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Just as last year, we're testing cod, haddock and fish pie mix
0:04:30 > 0:04:33from the supermarkets' fresh fish counters.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36But to make sure that we're not just catching the odd shop on,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39literally, an off day...
0:04:39 > 0:04:42this time we're going on a super-sized shopping trip.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44We've swapped last year's location for somewhere
0:04:44 > 0:04:48that's about as far away from the sea as it's possible to get.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51We've sent members of our team to no fewer than 14
0:04:51 > 0:04:52different supermarkets
0:04:52 > 0:04:53in the West Midlands.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56They're all within 50 minutes' drive of our test kitchen
0:04:56 > 0:05:00where, once again, the taste buds of fish expert Richard Chivers
0:05:00 > 0:05:04are poised to put them to the industry standard freshness test.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06To keep the fish fresh, we put the samples on ice
0:05:06 > 0:05:08as soon as we left each store.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10And Richard is hoping that this time
0:05:10 > 0:05:14the results will be a lot better than the ones before.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18There is no reason why the fish that we take today should be off.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24If Richard is right, he should have no problems as he eats.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26But with so many samples to test,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30we've tried to make things as comfortable for him as we can.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Hi, there. What can I get you today?
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- I think I'll have the cod, please. - OK.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37To keep the test as fair as can be,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Richard won't know until after he's tasted them,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43which of the 35 samples belongs to each supermarket.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45On order. Table two, one cod.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47MAN: Yes, Chef.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Just like last year, he'll be grading the fish
0:05:49 > 0:05:52using the industry standard Torry scale.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Remember, the higher the score out of ten, the fresher the fish.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And anything below six means that the fish is off.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04First up, cod from Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Sales from these four supermarkets account for nearly two thirds
0:06:08 > 0:06:10of all the fresh fish we eat.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And we get off to a promising start with a good score
0:06:13 > 0:06:16for Tesco's first sample.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It has no sweetness.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Um...definitely not off.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And things only get better, with even higher scores
0:06:23 > 0:06:27for the cod samples from the other Tesco branches.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Hmm.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Richard gave them a 7.5 and an 8.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37The cod from the other supermarkets couldn't match that eight.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41But it did come close with Sainsbury's, ASDA and Morrisons cod
0:06:41 > 0:06:45each having one sample that also scored a 7.5.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49That's higher than any of the supermarket cod we tested last year.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Yeah.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55That's OK.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57But it wasn't all good news.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01The rest of their cod didn't scale those same dizzy heights.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and there were low scores too.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06With two sixes for Morrisons.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Absolutely no flavour at all.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Two 6.5s for Sainsbury's.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19And one sample from Asda getting a lowly five.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Which, according to Richard, means...
0:07:23 > 0:07:25No...it's off.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Next, Richard tests the haddock, with two samples from Sainsbury's.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32That's good, yeah.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37And one from Tesco all scoring our test's highest marks, an 8.5.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Good fish, yeah.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46In fact, 10 out of the 12 samples of haddock scored 7 or higher.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Meaning the haddock is the freshest supermarket fish we found.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53This is...this sample is a lovely piece of fish.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56But unfortunately for Morrisons,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00the two remaining low-scoring haddocks were both theirs.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Tasteless.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It's not off but...you've got no flavour there.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10And one of them scored just 5.5, which again means...
0:08:10 > 0:08:11That haddock...
0:08:13 > 0:08:15..is verging on off.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Morrisons calls its fresh fish department a fishmonger.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22So it's especially surprising that both cod and haddock from there
0:08:22 > 0:08:25scored right at the bottom of the scale for freshness.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28We check the quality of every piece of fish we prepare,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32so you know that when you come in store, you're getting our very best.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35But we've still one more set of samples to test.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40The fish pie mix. And Richard has particular concerns about these.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Last year, I called fish pie mix the final resting place
0:08:43 > 0:08:48of the various species of fish that were used.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And it didn't take long before things soured again.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Oh...
0:08:54 > 0:08:56There's something not good in there.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Just like last year, the fish pie mix recorded the lowest score
0:09:01 > 0:09:05in our tests, with one sample from Morrisons scoring a five.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Richard reckons, that means the fish could well have been caught
0:09:08 > 0:09:10up to two weeks earlier.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Sainsbury's and Tesco also sold us low-scoring fish pie mix.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16With one 6.5 from Tesco.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Slightly disappointing, actually. The texture's good...
0:09:21 > 0:09:23but the flavour...
0:09:23 > 0:09:25And a 5.5 from Sainsbury's.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29That is a product that I would reject.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33But, unlike last year, there was some fish pie mix that scored well.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Very well, in fact.- Yeah.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Seven of our samples scored seven or more.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43And two of those, from Morrisons and Tesco, scored an eight.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I liked it, I liked what we were offered.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Very nearly the highest score in the entire test.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54So perhaps fish pie mix isn't always the final resting place
0:09:54 > 0:09:55for our fish!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Oh, well. The results are
0:09:57 > 0:09:59an awful lot better than they were last year.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Well, maybe they got a kick up the bottom.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06So, once Richard had munched his way through all 35 of our samples
0:10:06 > 0:10:10of fish, we totted up the marks, averaged them out
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and scored the supermarket out of a maximum of 30.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Tesco came out top, with an overall score of 23 out of 30,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and nothing that was off.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24That's good news for the store that sells nearly a quarter
0:10:24 > 0:10:26of all the fresh fish we eat.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Sainsbury's came second with 21.5 out of 30.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Their high-scoring haddock was top of the tree
0:10:33 > 0:10:37but they were let down by that fish pie mix that was off.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Close behind was Asda, scoring 21 out of 30.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Its score was damaged by a cod sample that wasn't fit to eat.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And finally, in fourth place, as it was last year,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Morrisons, with 19 out of 30.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56It may have had a wonderfully fresh fish pie mix,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59but that didn't make up for the fact that 3 of the 12 samples
0:10:59 > 0:11:03we bought from Morrisons stores... were classed as off.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07But while that's a disappointment, overall Richard's confident
0:11:07 > 0:11:11that the fish we've tested this time is an improvement on last year.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14They've upped their game, the fish is definitely better.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Overall I think it's better.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20We put the results of our tests to the supermarkets.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Tesco decided not to comment
0:11:22 > 0:11:25but of the ones that didn't net the highest score,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Sainsbury's told us it uses various criteria including...
0:11:33 > 0:11:36..when assessing its fish, to ensure good quality
0:11:36 > 0:11:38for its whole shelf life.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Asda said it was surprised at our results,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45as it's committed to selling only the highest quality seafood.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50And lowest scorer Morrisons told us that it uses careful planning
0:11:50 > 0:11:53to ensure that the time between fish being caught
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and then sold on its counters, is minimal.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59The store went on to say that it considers the Torry scale to be:
0:12:08 > 0:12:10As for Richard, well, although he was pleased that there was such
0:12:10 > 0:12:14a sea change in the quality of fish tested this year,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17he believes that there's still plenty of room for improvement.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22Some of the fish was really good, a lot of it was average,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27unfortunately, some of it was very poor because it's off.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29And that's unacceptable.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Oh, dear. Well, let's be honest, if you open your kitchen cupboard
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and have a good old rummage, I bet you'll find quite a bit of food
0:12:43 > 0:12:46lingering at the back that's way past its use-by date.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I know I do, on a regular basis.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52And it's often the case with those little jars of herbs and spices
0:12:52 > 0:12:56that only get used once in a while, or were bought for a special recipe
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and now we either can't bear to throw them away,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01or we just plain forgot about them.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, we've found a larder that's positively bursting with dried herbs
0:13:04 > 0:13:07that seem well past their best.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09But, once rediscovered, what do you do with them?
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Chuck them out? Or could they possibly still be safe to use?
0:13:14 > 0:13:18There is another dimension beyond that which is known to any cook.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30It is an area that we call... The Cupboard That Time Forgot.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Like many of us, Sharon Hack can struggle to finish off
0:13:39 > 0:13:42certain ingredients in her cupboard before the date is up.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44But that's never really bothered her
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and she's happy to just keep on using them.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51They're a bit vintage really, but it doesn't matter to me, as long as
0:13:51 > 0:13:54they smell all right and they taste all right, then I'll use them.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Some of the spices actually taste better if they're a bit out of date.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02And if it's fine, you open it, stick your finger in.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04If it tastes OK, warm it up and eat it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Chances are your cupboards may have a few things like Sharon's.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13So is she doing the right thing by still eating them?
0:14:13 > 0:14:16To find out, we took some examples of her elderly ingredients
0:14:16 > 0:14:19to the Flavour Centre at Reading University.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Dr Jane Parker will be testing the pungency of the herbs and spices
0:14:23 > 0:14:28to see how much aroma and flavour they've preserved over the years.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32We've got a fresh ground ginger that we bought from the supermarket
0:14:32 > 0:14:35this week and it should be bursting full of flavour.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37We've got one that's about four or five years old
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and we anticipate that the flavour will have changed.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And then we've got the one from Sharon's kitchen,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46which dates from the 1980s, so that's 30 years old.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Jane is running the ginger through this fancy bit of kit,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55called a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58This snappily titled object vaporises the sample
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and sensors are able to read how much of the pungency remains.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07We'll come back when it's done, to find out the results.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10But in the meantime, it's back to Sharon's to meet a chef
0:15:10 > 0:15:13who shares some of her views.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Mark Lloyd is not too proud to use ingredients that other chefs
0:15:17 > 0:15:18may consign to the bin.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21So he's come to Sharon's house to see if they can rustle up something new
0:15:21 > 0:15:24but still delicious, from some of her oldest ingredients.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27This is so old that it doesn't even have a best before on it,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29that's how long ago you must have bought this.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- SHE LAUGHS - 11p! You can't get anything for 11p
0:15:31 > 0:15:34now. Right, I think we need to have a little sniff test
0:15:34 > 0:15:35- with some of these.- Yeah.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38So, I think we'll start with, with the ground ginger.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Well, it's certainly still gingery enough,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46it's whether it still has the...has the flavour as well as the smell
0:15:46 > 0:15:48but the smell's still there.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- I think we'll be able to use that... - All right, we'll have a go with it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56But the 1980s ginger isn't the only thing that's surprised Mark.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01What would you need, one whole jar of dried chives for, never mind two?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I don't know, it must have been a recipe that I wanted to cook
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and never got round to doing it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08So, our 2004 vintage...
0:16:09 > 0:16:13..to be fair, they're a little bit grey, aren't they?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Dried herbs are one thing but what about the rest of the food
0:16:16 > 0:16:19lurking in Sharon's cupboards?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Mexican-style beans, I buy these because I like them in salad.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25So that's May 2013.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And this one is May 2016, so that one's in date
0:16:29 > 0:16:32but the one next to it, which is exactly the same thing.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Ah! I've got one better.
0:16:35 > 0:16:382006.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Oh, my God.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Now, in fact, most tinned goods should still be fine to eat
0:16:44 > 0:16:47well past their best-before date, provided they've been stored
0:16:47 > 0:16:53in a cool, dark place, and the can isn't dented or damaged in any way.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55But as for those dried cupboard ingredients,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58well, generally Mark thinks that as long as they still smell
0:16:58 > 0:17:00like they should, they're good to use.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Though you might want to add a bit more than you usually would.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07If I did find anything that was out of date, I would check it,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09I would use my smell, my taste, my common sense.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Obviously, if it was a tin and it was blown or something like that,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15then I'd be a bit more cautious but things like dried herbs,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I would use up, I wouldn't be too worried about them at all.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22In the UK, seven million tonnes of food and drink
0:17:22 > 0:17:25is thrown away each year by households.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28But more than half of this is usually still fit to eat or drink.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Sharon and Mark have now cooked up a dish
0:17:29 > 0:17:32with potentially a rather matured flavour.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35They've created a vintage veg curry and rice.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- It's too nice to talk. - Is it? Is it good?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It's maybe not as strong as if the herbs and spices
0:17:45 > 0:17:47had been a little bit fresher but there's still
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- all of that flavour there, isn't there?- It's full of flavour.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Absolutely full of flavour. That is absolutely wonderful.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Back at the lab, the test results are in.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Here I've got a chromatogram of the brand-new,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02fresh ginger sample, and you can see there's lots of peaks
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and each one of those has got a different aroma,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and together they make up ginger flavour.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10So if that's what an analysis of fresh ginger looks like.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14How does Sharon's 30 year vintage sample measure up?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17This is it here this red line along the top.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19So actually you can see that
0:18:19 > 0:18:21virtually everything has disappeared.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25However you can zoom in on this red line
0:18:25 > 0:18:29and you will start to see some peaks.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31So it's not that it's got no flavour,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35it's just got very, very low levels of flavour compounds.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40So if herbs and spices are out of date in the cupboard,
0:18:40 > 0:18:41you won't have the quality,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44but they're perfectly safe to eat.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47That's good news for Sharon, who is a firm believer that our instinct
0:18:47 > 0:18:51when checking these kinds of food is better than we think.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Well, I've been eating out-of-date ingredients,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55but it doesn't bother me at all.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58As long as it looks good and tastes good, it doesn't matter.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59So, a little bit of common sense.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02But use up some of this stuff. You've got so much of it!
0:19:02 > 0:19:03I know. I'll try.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Still to come on Rip-Off Britain.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The big name stores joining the battle against food waste
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and how one supermarket chain has found an extraordinary new use
0:19:18 > 0:19:20for the food and alcohol it can't sell.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Turning its waste into energy.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I think there's huge opportunity for this across the country.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I mean, this one plant generates enough power to power 15,000 houses.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35Here's another new initiative.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38It's designed to make better use of waste food
0:19:38 > 0:19:40that would otherwise be thrown away,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and it's come from one of Britain's biggest supermarkets.
0:19:43 > 0:19:49Of the 15 million tonnes of food and drink wasted in the UK every year,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53almost half is thrown away by consumers.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56But that still leaves an awful lot of food being binned
0:19:56 > 0:19:58without ever being sold at all.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Manufacturers and caterers account for much of that
0:20:01 > 0:20:06but nearly 400,000 tonnes of food a year is wasted by shops.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And a lot of you feel that that simply should never happen.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I do think supermarkets waste a lot of food.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17Potentially that amount could be huge on a daily or weekly basis, really.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19You look at the products, which are on the shelves
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and most have only got a sell by of a day or so.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24And I'm thinking, "Well, how can they possibly
0:20:24 > 0:20:26"get rid of all that food when there's only a day or two to go?"
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Supermarkets are reasonably fine-tuned to avoid waste,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32it costs them money after all.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34But there are still plenty of products that fail
0:20:34 > 0:20:36to make the tills ring.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39At Sainsbury's the man in charge of managing the problem
0:20:39 > 0:20:42is head of sustainability, that's Paul Crewe.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So he understands exactly why
0:20:44 > 0:20:47so much supermarket food ends up going to waste.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Products that we have too many of.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56Things like bakery and bread and through to meat and to fish.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Some products arrive with miscoded labels,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02which means we are no longer able to sell them
0:21:02 > 0:21:04because it would be illegal to sell them.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Around 26% of the food wasted in the UK
0:21:07 > 0:21:10is binned by food manufacturers,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13which many of them blame on the supermarkets' reluctance
0:21:13 > 0:21:16to buy wonky or less attractive veg.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19But Paul insists that at Sainsbury's, that's not the case.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21We make sure that even though they're wonky they're still
0:21:21 > 0:21:23beautifully tasting and so we do put them
0:21:23 > 0:21:27into the Basics range for customers to actually purchase from us.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Sainsbury's claim that none of its unsold food is wasted.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33And despite what you might think,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35food discarded by the big supermarkets
0:21:35 > 0:21:38doesn't simply end up in the bin.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39In common with Tesco and Asda,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43none of the waste from Sainsbury's goes to landfill.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45As we're looking through the product
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and checking the dates at the same time,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49we might come across products like this
0:21:49 > 0:21:50that have actually been damaged.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52That one is obviously unfit for sale
0:21:52 > 0:21:54because we're not sure of the integrity of the product.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56These would then get put into the back
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and then taken back to the depot.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00All of this waste food is put to good use.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03With some of it being used in an extraordinary way
0:22:03 > 0:22:06that you probably never would've guessed.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08We have a zero waste to landfill policy
0:22:08 > 0:22:11which means absolutely nothing in Sainsbury's goes to landfill.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Everything that we have is put to positive use
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and food waste is a vitally important part of that process.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Firstly, if we cannot give it to charity to be eaten,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24we put it into animal feed,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28if it can't go into animal feed, we absolutely put it into
0:22:28 > 0:22:30an opportunity to create energy from waste.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Yes siree, you heard it right.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34It's turned into energy.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Because while some of its rivals also have ingenious ways
0:22:37 > 0:22:41of utilising their leftovers, this Sainsbury's branch in Cannock
0:22:41 > 0:22:44is the first supermarket in the country to use the food it wastes
0:22:44 > 0:22:49to directly provide power for both itself and for homes, as well.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52They've teamed up with a local waste company to help turn the food
0:22:52 > 0:22:55they throw away into a gas that can be used for energy.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Morning, sir. How are you? Good to see you.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Ian Wakelin is the Chief Executive of Biffa,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05the company helping Sainsbury's turn its waste bread rolls and broccoli
0:23:05 > 0:23:07into lights and heating.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10We take that food waste, we create power from here.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14And then we installed an electric cable for a kilometre
0:23:14 > 0:23:17back to the store, so we're able to power the store
0:23:17 > 0:23:20using the electricity generated by their food.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23It's been a great partnership and is, as I understand it,
0:23:23 > 0:23:24unique in the country.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28The waste from the store is delivered on trucks
0:23:28 > 0:23:30to the waste-processing centre.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32And it's there that the food is crushed up,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35mixed with water, making a sort of soup.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38In the next chamber, bacteria is then added
0:23:38 > 0:23:42which digests the waste food, creating a biogas.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Then, finally, this gas is sent to the turbines,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47which burn it and create electricity.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50As well as the heat and the electricity,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54we also generate compost and liquid compost
0:23:54 > 0:23:57which is then spread back onto farmland as a fertiliser.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02While retailers are responsible for around 3% of the food wasted
0:24:02 > 0:24:07in the UK, restaurants and pubs account for around twice that.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09This plant helps turn food waste from some of these
0:24:09 > 0:24:11into fuel, as well.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15With spoiled beer, wine and other alcohol especially welcome.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Waste alcohols are fantastic - they help us to create a lot more gas
0:24:19 > 0:24:21than just standard food waste.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Each day, we receive around 250 tonnes of waste.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28That is around about 30 trucks worth of food waste.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33A huge 1.5km cable carries the energy that's made
0:24:33 > 0:24:35back to the Sainsbury's store.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And any excess that's not used by the store is fed back
0:24:38 > 0:24:41into the National Grid to power homes.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43While this is an unusual set-up for now,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Ian reckons there's plenty of scope for many more of us to end up
0:24:47 > 0:24:51having our homes powered by the food that supermarkets throw away.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54There actually aren't very many plants like this across the country.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58We estimate there's currently 14 million tonnes of food waste
0:24:58 > 0:25:02created in the UK every year, but only about 500,000 tonnes,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05or half a million, of that is created into energy currently.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I think there's huge opportunity for this across the country.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13I mean, this one plant generates enough power to power 15,000 houses.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17In the next five to ten years I think we could see millions of houses
0:25:17 > 0:25:19powered, potentially, by food waste.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22In the meantime, for many of the shoppers here,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24discovering that the store's unwanted food waste
0:25:24 > 0:25:27could have been transformed into power to cook their dinner
0:25:27 > 0:25:30is an unexpected but very welcome surprise.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I am surprised that my house could be running on food waste, yes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I think if Sainsbury's are using all the food waste
0:25:36 > 0:25:40to power the electricity that's a really good thing.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44To realise that I could be boiling my kettle with power
0:25:44 > 0:25:48that's been generated from food waste from our local supermarket
0:25:48 > 0:25:52that would be something that... that would be great, really.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54We shouldn't have so much waste food in the first place,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58but at least if the food is being oversourced, overproduced,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00at least it's still being put to
0:26:00 > 0:26:01some sort of use at the end of the day.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Here at Rip-Off Britain we're always ready to investigate
0:26:11 > 0:26:14more of your stories on any subject.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Confused over your bills?
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Or just trying to wade through never-ending small print?
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's very frustrating because it makes what should be
0:26:22 > 0:26:24a quite simple job,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26a lot more complicated and I think some people just give up
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and so they don't get the best deal.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Maybe you're unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out
0:26:32 > 0:26:36and that so-called great deal has ended up costing you money.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38People are buying into this. I did, you know.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And are they going to be as awkward with them as they were with me?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44You might have a cautionary tale of your own,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and want to share the mistakes that you've made with us.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It upsets me an awful lot because, you know, I'm retired
0:26:51 > 0:26:55and I begrudge having to pay that kind of money out.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58You can write to us at:
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Or send us an e-mail to:
0:27:13 > 0:27:18The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Well, there you have it, the word fresh
0:27:24 > 0:27:25has such connotations, doesn't it?
0:27:25 > 0:27:27And it's so easy to think that it means,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30oh, I don't know, it was picked or caught just a few days ago,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34but as we've seen on this programme that isn't necessarily the case.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It could be quite a few days older
0:27:36 > 0:27:38like some of that supermarket fish we tested.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39And I must be really honest,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- the results of that test really did surprise me.- I'll say.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I agree, even though the supermarkets did better than last year,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I'd have expected fish sold as fresh to come out rather better.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53But at least it was good news when it came to all those jars of old herbs.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55We don't have to throw them away after all.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I think that was definitely good news for an awful lot of us.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01But I'm afraid that's where we have to leave things for today.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05You can find more money-saving tips on our website which as always is:
0:28:09 > 0:28:12And from there you can of course also send us ideas
0:28:12 > 0:28:15for what you'd like us to investigate next on your behalf.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Not just for food but really anything at all that's left you
0:28:17 > 0:28:20feeling short-changed or ripped off.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- So until then from all of us here on the team, bye-bye.- Bye-bye.- Bye.