Nadiya Hussain joins battle against waste

TELEVISION PRESENTER Nadiya Hussain, inset, has joined supermarkets and major brands in backing the UK’s first action week to challenge food waste and tackle climate change.

Households in the UK waste the equivalent of eight meals a week on average, according to sustainability charity WRAP, which has launched a Food Waste Action Week.

The challenge, which runs from today until Monday next week, offers a series of tips to ensure no edible food ends up in the bin.

“Most of us don’t realise it, but wasting food is a major contributor to climate change. And it isn’t just the leftovers on our plate to consider but the many resources that go into producing our food, like water and land,” said Great British Bake Off winner Ms Hussain.

“If we each make small changes we’d dramatically reduce the amount of food that ends up in the bin, and really can make a difference.”

An estimated 6.6m tonnes of food waste comes from homes in the UK every year, according to WRAP, emitting as much greenhouse gas as is produced by flying from London to Perth in Australia 4.5m times. Globally, a third of all food produced is lost or wasted, which contributes between eight and 10 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Through this week, supermarkets including Aldi, Asda and Waitrose will be promoting tips on how to reduce food waste, alongside major brands such as Cravendale, Nestle and Hellman’s, as well as hosting events in store.