Wasted household food is having more of an impact on the environment than first realised, a new report from the WWF has informed home cooks.

According to the environmental group, which joined forces with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), discarded food also leads to water being used unnecessarily.

Water used to produce food that is then thrown away accounts for six per cent of the UK's overall water requirements, it claimed, meaning 6.2 billion cubic metres is wasted per year.

Liz Goodwin, chief executive at WRAP, commented: "The water footprint for wasted food – 280 litres per person, per day - is nearly twice the average daily household water use of the UK, 150 litres per person per day."

Statistics from the Food and Drink Federation recently showed that UK food exports increased last year, with the value of the market exceeding £10 billion for the first time.