With load-shedding a part of our lives for the foreseeable future, consumers may have some doubts about how safe the food in their fridges is.
One of the great frustrations of load shedding is finding yourself throwing out good food that’s gone bad through no fault of your own.
Below, Maretha Vermaak, a registered dietitian at Rediscover Dairy, shares some tips on how to make sure your dairy products last during load shedding.
“Milk and other dairy products have long been enjoyed as part of our diets. As one of the five core food groups, dairy plays a key role in a balanced diet. Heat treatments make milk and other dairy products safe for consumption for longer periods of time,” said Vermaak.
Heat treatment is used for many different food types. Appropriate heat treatment limits harmful bacteria that may be present in food and ensures that food is safe to consume.“
She said milk can be heat-treated by three different methods:
- Pasteurisation
- Ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment to produce long-life milk (box milk) and,
- Sterilisation
Vermaak said: “For families who are finding that milk products are increasingly spoiling because of load shedding disruptions, UHT dairy products are a smart adaptation that helps you to reduce food waste and save money.”
The dairy brand also gathered real-life load shedding and waste-wise tips from South Africans on social media who are trying to mitigate the impact of load shedding on their food budgets. These include:
- Choosing UHT milk products.
- After purchase, divide perishables such as hard cheeses and butter into smaller portions. Keep only what you need for the day in your fridge, and freeze the rest.
- Keep the fridge door closed during load shedding hours.
- Move dairy, meat, and leftover foods to the top shelf of your freezer during load shedding hours.
- Use sour milk, yoghurt, and cream as an ingredient in baked goods or meals.
- If you know you can’t use certain foods before their use-by-dates, donate them rather than throw them away.
- Set up a cooler box with ice bricks for perishable foods such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese during load shedding. You can also fill empty milk bottles with water, freeze them and use them as cooling aids in the fridge or cooler box.
“It’s a way of life to make the most out of your food budget, particularly during hard times. We also need to address the need to provide our families with daily healthy, balanced meals that include all the food groups,” Vermaak said.
“So, we need to pay more attention to how we store different foods effectively as well as understand the difference between best-before and use-by labelling. Pivoting to long-life options is much smarter than reducing your consumption of important foods.
“So, carefully consider preserved and heat-treated foods so that your family is enjoying a variety of foods every day, regardless of load shedding.”
