Sainsbury's has launched food waste campaign

Brits throw away around 15 per cent of the food that they buy, according to new research by retail giant Sainsbury's.

Indeed, a survey found that the average British household spends an average of £85 each week on groceries.

However, despite the recession, almost a sixth of this is thrown away due to cooking too much at meal times or simply allowing the fresh food to go off.

Consequently, Sainsbury's has launched a campaign called Make your Roast go Further, which is intended to encourage individuals to better manage their food and waste less.

According to Sainsbury's, most food is thrown away during the busy Christmas period, with cooks so nervous that there won't be enough to go around that they over compensate with huge portions - a lot of which gets chucked in the bin.

As part of the campaign, individuals will be given recipe cards which contain advice on how to cook just the right amount to avoid too much food being wasted.

Susi Richards, head of food at Sainsbury’s, said: “Our research shows that the Sunday roast is a significant contributor to overall food waste in UK households and this is why we have made it central to our new Food Goes Further campaign. We want to help our customers Live Well for Less at the same time as educating them on the issues of waste.

“If each of the 22 million customers who pass through our stores each week thinks differently about their Sunday roast leftovers, then we would see less food in the bin and more money in our pockets.  We have provided a series of easy to follow recipes for leftovers, meal planners and tips to help our customers be more efficient with food.”

Not only will this be better for the environment, it should save British households a tidy sum.

Indeed, TV favourite and good housekeeping guru Aggie Mackenzie has claimed that Brits will be better off if they take advice from the campaign.

"Put quite simply, families cannot afford the bill of food waste anymore. To avoid food finding its way into the bin, roast leftovers should become the key ingredient for a second and third family meal or snack," she said.