Pioneering food saving campaign #FoodSavvy has today launched a month-long Delicious Drawings competition in collaboration with the East of England Co-op.

The competition will inspire primary school children on the Shotley peninsula and beyond to get creative about saving and valuing food. Children are invited to draw a picture which shows how you can stop tasty food from ending up in the bin.

#FoodSavvy is a partnership between the Suffolk Waste Partnership, Norfolk County Council and environmental charity Hubbub.

On average, households across East Anglia waste £810 worth of food every year. However, since the coronavirus restrictions, the country's relationship with food has been changing.

Nearly 60% of people say they are valuing food more now. Cooking from scratch and families eating together more are just some of the positive shifts in food related behaviours, according to new research commissioned by Hubbub.

The Delicious Drawings competition will provide a great focus for families to talk about the value of food, why eating every bite is important and it gives children an opportunity to create and inspire others to reduce their food waste.

Cllr Peter Stevens, chairman of the Suffolk Waste Partnership, said "Delicious Drawings is a wonderful way for children to learn about the importance and value of food.

"Each year in Suffolk we are throwing away over 50,000 tonnes of potentially good food. That's a horrible waste, especially during these challenging times, so hopefully this fun competition will help families get creative and save money."

There are some great prizes to be won, from children's cooking kits to East of England Co-op vouchers and the chance for the drawing to be put up in a Co-op store in Holbrook or Brantham.

If you know a mini artist, chef, or storyteller you can find more information here: www.foodsavvy.org.uk/kids-competition.

The competition is open to all primary aged children across Suffolk and young artists can enter their masterpieces until Friday 20 June. Winners will be announced by the 20th July.

The Food Savvy website is packed with recipes and ideas to cut down food waste and make your food go further, from planning your shopping to storing food correctly, plus lots of savvy living tips to help with lockdown life.