Households across Suffolk are being urged to sign up for a mission to do their bit to protect the planet and help get the best out of salad and vegetables.

Mission Food Savvy is targeting these items in the war on waste as they are some of the most thrown away foods. 

The summer campaign promotes savvy ways to store salad and vegetables to keep them fresher to be savoured another day; or send them undercover in delicious dishes to make sure nothing goes to waste.

Using a fun, hero agent theme, the campaign reveals how everything from tomatoes to cucumbers, carrots to broccoli, can escape the waste bin through better planning, storing and cooking. 

Mission Food Savvy is the latest in the well-established Food Savvy campaign, run jointly by Suffolk Waste Partnership, and neighbouring Norfolk County Council.

It is estimated households in Suffolk and Norfolk throw away enough food in a year to fill 155 Bury St Edmunds cathedrals.

The campaign inspires households to reduce food waste by:  

• Planning meals before shopping to ensure nothing goes to waste
• Keeping vegetables and salads in optimal condition by storing them correctly
• Getting creative with leftovers and send spare veg undercover into other dishes

 Suffolk Waste Partnership and Norfolk County Council work together on the Food Savvy campaign.

Rob Cole of the Suffolk Waste Partnership, said: "What we are challenging people to do is to make it their mission to plan what they need and not waste food or money. 

"The average household wastes over two months' worth of food each year - that's more than £700. Reducing food waste is good for the planet and our pockets, especially as many of us are working hard to make our budgets stretch further.

"We hope residents embrace our Food Savvy mission and are inspired to use up their leftovers."

The average household wastes over two months' worth of food each year (around £730).**

As well as financial savings there are environmental savings too. If everyone in the UK stopped throwing away food for just one day it would be the same as taking 14,000 cars off the road for a whole year.