Jars That Pack a Punch

Folláin joins the fight against food waste with smaller jars and educational website.

Folláin Traditional Irish Preserves know what they are talking about when it comes to preserving the goodness of nature- they have been doing it from their West Cork base for over 30 years- the Irish company is now using their experience and expertise to help Irish people in the fight against food waste, a problem estimated at costing Irish households €700 million every year.

Folláin, with guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food Waste Tech super-stars, FoodCloud, have introduced smaller and less wasteful packaging across a new range of products, and combined this with a new website Folláinfoodproject.ie The site will provide educational and consumer support, through tips on avoiding food waste, host a range of recipe ideas and suggestions to inspire consumers to get creative with surplus fresh food ingredients and stop food waste in its tracks!

The smaller sized Folláin jams are available in 180g jars in a range of gourmet flavours, of which two were awarded stars at the Great Taste Awards for 2014, and include; RASPBERRY & VANILLA (2 Stars at the Great Taste Awards),  ORANGE & APRICOT, STRAWBERRY & PASSION FRUIT (1 Star at the Great Taste Awards) and RHUBARB & FIG. The jams are available at retailers nationwide for RSP €1.69.

Odile Le Bolloch from the EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme commented,

“When asked about the types of food they waste, many householders list condiments in jars along with the more obvious types of food waste such as fruit and veg, bread and dairy products, Our studies have shown that most of these foods are wasted because they have bought too much or didn’t use it on time. Providing customers with the option to buy smaller amounts, as well as providing correct storage information, is a great example of how a company such as Folláin can help customers reduce their food waste, and we are delighted to see them take the initiative. “

Commenting on the starting point for Folláin Food Project, Folláin Brand Manager, Laura Hewson explains,

“Preserving the goodness of nature is at the very essence of the Folláin ethos, and it is a craft that our Cork based team have perfected from providing the nation with fresh fruit Jams, Marmalades, Relishes, Salsas and Chutneys over the last 30 years. We knew as a company we wanted to get involved in the battle againstfood waste, and the start off point for us was a phone call to the EPA, where we were informed that chutneys and jams top the list of food waste offenders, but that something as simple as a reduction in packaging size could prevent jars of half full preserves being binned, so our first action was to do just that!”

Iseult Ward, Co-Founder of FoodCloud commented,

“At least one million tonnes of food is wasted in Ireland annually. Wasting food is a waste of money, a waste of valuable natural resources and raises moral questions where there are people suffering from foodpoverty.  We want Irish people to think about how they can reduce this waste – with such a rich food and agricultural heritage, it makes sense that as a nation, we commit to this. It is great to see companies likeFolláin looking for new and innovative ways to help consumers reduce their food waste at home.”

Hewson continues on the how the campaign resonates with Folláin,

“Folláin’s tradition is imbued in the time honoured skill passed down through generations in Cuil Aodha, Co. Cork of preserving fruit & vegetables evoking the joys of nature all year around. In today’s throwaway society food does not carry the same value and preservation skills such as curing, drying, smoking, bottling, pickling, fermenting and conserving are not used as much. Folláin believes that new approaches can be adopted to modern day living fitting in with our busy lifestyles to value food as Irish people once did and become less wasteful. “

 The Folláin Food Project Website (Follainfoodproject.ie) includes information about food waste in Ireland today, with easy to follow guidelines on how to avoid food waste in the home, as well as utilising the list of top ten food waste offenders to demonstrate how you can save squidgy fruit and veg before they are relegated to compost heaps and rubbish bins.

Folláin features three different ranges of traditional preserves, including; Folláin  Extra Fruit Traditional Irish Preserves, Folláin No Added Sugar Preserves & Relishes and Folláin Premium Preserves in small 180g jars. The ranges are available from leading supermarkets and independent retailers nationwide, log onto Follain.ie for more information.

MÁIRÍN’S SPICED FRUIT CHUTNEY RECIPE

 

Ingredients

900g Bramley apples
450g pears
85g chopped stem ginger (from a jar of ginger in syrup)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed dried chillies
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
900g muscovado sugar
500ml bottle cider vinegar

Method

1. Core, peel and chop the apples and pears in bite-sized chunks. Put them in a saucepan.

2. Dice the onion and garlic. Dice the ginger. Stir onion, garlic and ginger into the pot.

3. Sprinkle with the mustard seeds, chillies and salt. Add the sugar and stir. Pour in the cider vinegar. Then drop the cinnamon stick on top.

4. Heat slowly for about 20 minutes, giving an occasional stir, until the sugar has dissolved.

5. Now leave the chutney to simmer at a steady pace for about 1 ½ hours, without a lid, stirring occasionally until reduced and thickened.

6. Using a heatproof jug, pour the chutney while still hot into sterilised jars.

7. Allow to cool completely before serving. If kept in sterilised jars, the chutney will keep for about a year in a cool, dry place.

 

 

 

By Sarah Carberry