🦸♀️ How Should Food Waste Heroes Handle Frozen Food?
❄️ Can I Collect Frozen Food from a Business?
Yes, some businesses donate frozen items. Follow these safety steps:
Keep frozen items separate: Use a different bag than for chilled or ambient food.
Transport quickly: Keep total transit time under 1.5 hours.
Once home, you must either:
Freeze immediately at −18°C or colder (within 1.5 hours), and share within 1 month.
Or thaw in the fridge and share within 24 hours. Note this clearly in your listing and state it cannot be refrozen.
🧁 Note: Ice cream and similar items must remain frozen. Do not thaw.
👩🍳 What If I’m collecting from a Catering Site?
The caterer must label frozen food with a new Best Before date. If the item isn’t correctly labelled, you must reject it.
🧊 Can I Freeze Food at Home as a FWH?
Yes, but only if you follow strict guidelines, and only outside the Republic of Ireland (where freezing food isn’t allowed).
To freeze food safely:
Freeze only in original packaging that says “suitable for freezing”.
If unlabelled (e.g. whole fruit, veg, meat, fish), freezing is fine.
Do not freeze food that has been previously frozen and thawed.
Only freeze items before their Use By date.
Cover the original date with a new label:
“Frozen on [date]”
“Best Before: [date]” — typically 1 month from freezing.
If no specific freezing guidance is on the packaging, use the 1-month rule.
Make sure food is fully frozen through and stays frozen until collection.
⚠️ Listing Frozen items that have not followed food safety guidelines, may result in a warning.
📦 How Do I Share Food I’ve Frozen Myself?
When listing frozen food:
Add “Frozen by Olio” to your description.
Include:
Date frozen
New Best Before date
Any defrosting/cooking instructions from the label
A clear note that the item must not be refrozen
🧍♀️ What Should Requesters Do with Frozen Food?
After collecting frozen food:
Either re-freeze it immediately (within 1.5 hours)
Or thaw in the fridge and use within 24 hours
Never refreeze thawed food
Follow cooking instructions if available