Aldi, the UK's cheapest supermarket, has shared a simple food storage hack to prevent bananas from turning brown and mushy: slice them up and store them in the freezer. The advice comes as part of the retailer's partnership with food storage expert Kate Hall, aimed at helping customers keep staples fresh for longer.
Research Reveals Staggering Food Waste
The budget supermarket, named the cheapest in the UK in June 2026, conducted research showing that the average Brit throws away £387 worth of food every year. Seven out of 10 admit they buy food knowing they will likely discard it. Aldi's initiative seeks to tackle this issue by providing practical tips.
Freezing Bananas: The Expert's Method
Kate Hall advises: “Let’s face it, we can’t always make banana bread every time a bunch gets past its best. But if you can spare 30 seconds to peel, slice and freeze bananas, you can avoid them going to waste.” She recommends spreading slices on a lined tray before freezing to prevent clumping, then transferring them to a resealable freezer bag. The frozen bananas are ideal for making banana ice cream or chocolate peanut butter bites.
Hall adds that the same approach works for other fruits and vegetables: “Cucumbers can be sliced and frozen to be used instead of ice cubes, added to smoothies, or even blitzed into a refreshing sorbet.”
Freezer as a Food Waste Solution
“Using your freezer is such a simple way to press pause on your food so it doesn’t end up in the bin,” Hall explains. “Freezing food can help our budgets stretch further, and you can actually freeze a lot more than people realise. The trick is knowing the best way to freeze food and what to do with it after freezing.”
Aldi's Commitment to Reducing Waste
Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi, we’re committed to reducing food waste wherever we can across our supply chain, whether that be working with suppliers to cut down on waste, or marking down prices of items nearing their sell by date. Now we’re on a mission to help shoppers minimise their food waste too, while getting even more value from their Aldi groceries at the same time. It seems simple, but the research shows that freezing items still isn’t something many do – so we want to showcase just how easy that can be.”
