Around one million tonnes of food is binned “untouched” every year at the cost of £90 per household in the UK, according to a new analysis.

The habit of throwing away unused food – usually because it is not “used in time” – is costing consumers around £2.4 billion every year. Such unopened food that ends up chucked – half of which is salad and vegetables – amounts to one million tonnes of the four million tonnes of wasted food annually.

The report from the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP), a government-sponsored initiative, recommends storage guidance to help consumers keep food fresher for longer, maximising the length of shelf life as well as rolling out and increasing public awareness of the “freeze before date mark” label.

It also advises consumers to take simple actions, including checking the fridge and cupboard before going shopping to avoid duplicating items, meal-planning and making a shopping list.

David Moon, Head of Food Sustainability at WRAP said: “These valuable insights will enable the food industry to target their interventions in the areas that will deliver the greatest reduction in food waste and save consumers money.”

Ten cities across the UK will be taking part in campaigns this week to help people understand why they waste so much food and find out easy ways to avoid it.