National fridge audit reveals Britons are a nation of 'sniff testers'

The first ‘National Fridge Audit’ by Beko home appliances showed that a staggering 30 million of us admit to having out of date food in our fridge. Alarmingly, although half of us say we would never serve a guest food that is out of date, that means that there are still around 1.2 million potential hosts in Britain who would secretly scrape off the mouldy parts and then serve up the rest.

According to the new study out today, three quarters of us would still eat food that was past its use by date, happy to trust our nose and judgement with a quick ‘sniff test’. If you’re going round to your neighbours for a dinner party this weekend you’d better beware as two thirds of Brits think that the use by date is just a guide.

Old cheese tops the list for the average Brit as the worst offender but the top ten out of date chilled items in the UK today are:

1. Cheese
2. Jar of curry sauce
3. Yogurt
4. Eggs
5. Milk
6. Open can of beans
7. Fruit
8. Bread
9. Meat
10. Fish

Behind closed doors, over a quarter of us cite fridge habits as the cause of arguments with our housemates or partner. Topics that really tick us off include how things are stored, like a half eaten tin of beans left uncovered.

In fact, one in 10 Brits say they argue with their partner on whether things should be refrigerated, such as eggs, and with over half of people wrongly believing eggs have to be kept in the fridge, while over 40% think that jam, marmalade, honey and ketchup should be kept cooled despite being fine to be stored at room temperature.

Top 10 things that Brits refrigerate unnecessarily:

1. Eggs
2. Jam/marmalade
3. Honey
4. Onions
5. Garlic
6. Bread
7. Potatoes
8. Bananas
9. Dried Fruit
10. Tinned vegetables

Confirming that the contents of our fridges can speak volumes, when it comes to our friends one fifth of Britons admitted they judge others’ lifestyle choices by the contents of their fridge. Indeed, one in eight admitted they would be unlikely to go to a friend’s house for dinner if their fridge was messy or dirty and more men than women agreed that if they spotted budget brands in the fridge they would think that their friend was ‘tight’.

Teresa Arbuckle of Beko Plc, who carried out the poll, said: “Our survey reveals that we are nation who judge each other on the contents of our chiller – the fridge is the new status symbol.

“So it is surprising to learn that so many of us are running on empty where our food is concerned, almost a third of people saying their fridge usually contains the bare minimum to get them through the week.

“Beko understands the pressures of modern living and is proud to offer refrigerators to suit every home no matter what the individual needs or space available. Packed with the latest technologies, our fridges help to keep produce fresher for longer and sleek designs that will be the envy of all your friends.”

Leading UK appliance brand Beko plc, has enlisted the assistance of 2012 Masterchef winner Shelina Permalloo, who agrees: “The rising popularity of entertaining at home, particularly with the summer of sporting events and Autumn of new talent shows on TV, friends and neighbours will have plenty of opportunity to peep in your fridge.

“It is important to keep your fridge stocked up and well maintained not only to avoid embarrassing questions from house guests, but also to make sure ourselves and our families aren’t being exposed to any health risks. And as any host will tell you, cooking from scratch and home entertaining is an easy way to impress your guests – and lots of fun too!”

For more details www.beko.co.uk or contact [email protected]

-Ends-

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Notes to editors

• The research for Beko was carried out by Opinion Matters between 12/06/12 and 28/06/12
• Sample: 2,019 UK Adults
• Full survey data available upon request

Regional survey highlights:
Glasgow
14.5% argue with their housemate or partner about their fridge manners
63.8% never serve out of date food – highest in UK

Edinburgh
0% keep alcohol in their fridge – lowest in UK
Freeze leftovers for later 24.2% – highest in UK
6% would be unlikely to go to a friends for dinner if their fridge was
a mess/dirty
Lowest in UK for out of date (up to 2 weeks) at 4.3%
60.6% never serve out of date food – second highest to Glasgow

Sheffield
67.5% – My fridge is always well stocked with a variety of different
foods/products
7.8% would assume their friends were tight if they saw a fridge of
budget label food
13% argue about out of date food in the fridge with their house
partner
32.5% would never touch out of date food – highest

Belfast
Most ready meals 18.4%
Argue about smelly food in the fridge 10.5%
Argue about the amount of alcohol in the fridge 7.9%
18.4% don’t know what most out of date item is
Highest for out of date yogurt, milk, fruit and bread
38.5% out of date by three days – highest
15.4% out of date by 5 days – highest

Bristol
Most condiments 24.2%
Store leftover food for later in fridge 70.8%

Leeds
Least out of date food (by three dates) 7.9%
Most alcohol 8.3%

Norwich
Separate fridge for alcohol 9.4% – highest

Nottingham
Many of the items in my fridge are out of date
11.9% cheese out of date – highest
4.6% open can of beans – highest

Liverpool
20% throw leftovers in the bin

Brighton
20% would be unlikely to go to a friends for dinner if their fridge was
a mess/dirty
12% argue with their partners about what should go in the fridge
such as eggs or ketchup
12% have an out of date jar of curry paste in their fridge – highest

Newcastle
62% don’t have any out of date items in fridge – highest

Cardiff
Highest for out of date by over 6 months at 3.6%

About Beko:
www.beko.co.uk

Beko plc, established in the UK in 1991, is a subsidiary of a large multinational group – KOÇ Holding and the Arcelik Group – which is
one of the top 500 largest companies in the world and also one of the top 10 home appliances manufacturers in Europe with over 40 years experience in the manufacture of home appliances and televisions.

Beko is a leading appliance brand in the UK. The company continues to develop energy efficient electrical appliances that deliver
exceptional value, quality, with high levels of customer satisfaction, by listening and responding to the needs of customers and
consumers. These factors combined with an affordable and reliable proposition, make Beko the brand of choice for today and the
future.

Stockist details: www.beko.co.uk or Tel: 0845 600 4911 www.sourcewire.com