As Brits embrace the new year health kick, food waste expert and author Kate Hall has shared her top tips for keeping your food as fresh as possible for as long as possible.

One of her top food storage tips is to be aware of ethylene gas, a natural gas that contains a major hormone in plant biology that helps fruits and vegetables to ripen. 

She explained that certain food, including bananas, apples, and tomatoes, emit high levels of the gas, which can cause ethylene-sensitive produce like berries, cherries, and grapes to be ruined faster, so it’s best to keep them separate in the kitchen.

According to Plant Science, there are three key ways in which ethylene gas can play a role in the ripening of grapes: acidity, berry size, and accumulation of anthocyanin - the deep red or purple pigment that colours fruit. 

Higher levels of the gas can decrease the acidity of grapes while increasing their diameter and anthocyanin.

As well as ensuring you keep ethylene-sensitive fruits away, the UCSD Centre for Community Health advises not to store these types of foods sealed in bags or containers, as this traps the gas and causes the fruit and veg to ripen faster. 

Kate gave more pointers for keeping your fresh produce lasting for longer that don’t require a lot of effort.

One of these pieces of advice was simply keeping your fridge cold. The food waste expert explained that if your fridge is warmer than 5C, your food won’t last as long as it could.

Another tip for keeping your fruit fresh is always checking your berries for signs of mould.

Kate said: “If there is one single mouldy berry hiding away in your punnet, then microscopic spores can easily and quickly contaminate the rest. Try to only wash them before you eat so as not to add more unnecessary moisture.”

Research from the supermarket Aldi revealed that on average Brits are throwing away 67 boxes of blueberries, 67 boxes of raspberries, and 62 punnets of cherries every week.

With so much food going to waste, these tips will not only save what's in your fridge but save you a lot of money.