Every year people from around the world come together to declare their commitment to tackle global hunger on 16 October, World Food Day. This day provides an opportunity to shine a light on food waste, our environmental footprint and most importantly the 870 million undernourished people across the planet – and reaffirm one’s commitment to ‘save good food, from going bad’ exactly like the GLAD slogan.

It is estimated that as much as a third of all food produced goes to waste, in South Africa this is equivalent to a staggering 201kg per person annually! A portion of this happens during the production cycle and is why ‘odd-shaped’ fruit and veggies are being reintroduced by some grocery stores. It is clear though, that we need to act in our daily lives to make a difference in any way we can to reduce this number.   Let GLAD help you be the hero to stop good food from going bad: Begin by planning your meals ahead of time and shop accordingly.

If you buy in bulk, portion and then store in GLAD Zip Seal Bags or wrap using GLAD Wrap or Press 'n Seal and freeze, defrost as needed. For example, if three meals require broccoli, separate the large pack into three portions to store. Do the same with your fresh herbs, nuts, meat, chicken, fish and other perishables.

Organise your fridge, keeping items with the earlier expiration date in the front and the longest behind. Naturally use in this order too.Love your leftovers! Instead of scraping leftovers into the bin, keep them for another meal, by storing in a GLAD Zip Seal Bag in the freezer.

They are transparent, allowing you to see immediately what’s inside and they have a printed white strip already on them, to write the contents and date stored.If you don’t eat your leftovers, share them!

Understand the dates on your food. After the “use-by” date food is not safe to eat, and you need to dispose of it. Add fruit and veggies to your compost heap. “Best Before” dates only indicate when the item is at its best, if it has been properly stored it can still be consumed after this date.

For GLAD, every gram counts, and we’d like to invite you to join us in being more aware this World Food Day (and beyond), to save good food from going bad. As all GLAD products are made for your convenience with the purpose of keeping your food fresh for longer.