Around £1.17 billion worth of fruit, vegetable and bread is wasted every year in the UK, according to new research from Sainsbury’s.

The study revealed the average British household throws away 142 carrots, onions, courgettes, potatoes and loaves of bread a year.

Furthermore, the most wasted item are tomatoes with over 700 million tomatoes going to waste each year. In addition, over 20% of courgettes went to waste each week in individual households, the highest amongst fruits and vegetables.

Moreover, the Big 4 grocer revealed a spike in healthier, more sustainable New Year’s resolutions.

READ MORE: Sainsbury’s poaches McColl’s CCO as new director

Reducing food waste, recycling more and reducing carbon footprint each made the list of top 10 new year resolutions. Additionally, one in five Brits pledged to reduce food waste.

“At Sainsbury’s, we’re committed to helping our customers eat better for their health and that of the planet, so it’s really encouraging to see that so many Brits are looking to create more sustainable and healthy habits to see them through 2022,” Sainsbury’s chief marketing officer Mark Given said.

The news comes after the retailer pledged to halve food waste across its value chain by 2030.

In partnership with Neighbourly, Sainsbury’s reduced waste by over 5,000 tonnes in 2021 and Since August 2021, the grocer has donated the equivalent of over 1.8 million meals to charities and communities.

Click here to sign up to Grocery Gazette’s free daily email newsletter