Free Fresh Pods aim to reduce food waste in the home

7,000 households in and around Bury St Edmunds will soon be receiving a Fresh Pod through their door which will keep their fruit and vegetables, stored in the fridge, crisper, tastier and fresher whilst maintaining essential nutrients until used; meaning produce can be stored for longer and eaten fresh, instead of ending up in the bin.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council has been awarded funding from Sainsbury’s Waste less, Save more scheme to purchase Fresh Pods, which increase the life of fresh fruit and vegetables by up to four times by neutralising the Ethylene gas, bacteria and moulds which lurk in the fridge. The Fresh Pod sits in the fruit bowl or fridge, last for six months, and can be used as plant food once finished. Refills are available.

Peter Stevens, Cabinet member for Operations said: “On average a family throws away £700 of food a year, much of which is fruit and veg. Fresh Pod lengthens the lifetime of food, giving householders more time to store it until needed”

Waste less, Save more was launched by Sainsbury’s in 2015 to help combat the growing issue of food waste. Following an innovative 12-month trial in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, the retailer has unveiled a further £1 million investment to support 29 Discovery Communities, one of which is Bury St Edmunds.

Paul Crewe, Project Lead for Waste less, Save more, at Sainsbury’s, said: “We learned a huge amount from the pilot about how we can help households waste less food and save money, but now we’re casting our net wider to see the innovative ways other communities tackle food waste.”

Valerie Watson-Brown of Norfolk based Fresh Pod Ltd, added: “We are putting safe technology used by food producers across the UK and the world into the fridges of householders to help them avoid putting useable fruit and veg into the bin.”

Households are encouraged to look out for an information leaflet that will arrive a week before a jiffy bag hits their doormats. They are asked to read the instructions; use the Fresh Pods and note any difference it makes to the amount of fruit and veg they eat and what, if any, they still throw away. More details will shortly be available at westsuffolk.gov.uk

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