Home cooks need to ensure they are not being wasteful with ingredients so they are not wasting money on a weekly basis, an expert has claimed.

Rachelle Strauss, founder of Myzerowaste.com, noted that waste can be reduced simply by looking at what food is already in the house before going out shopping.

"We go to the shops, and every week we buy the same food – we probably stuff a couple of offers in there as well that we can't resist, but essentially we stick to the same shopping list," she explained.

The expert noted that planning ahead is another great means of lowering the amount of food that goes unused, as is not going shopping on an empty stomach, which leads to more impulse buys.

A study from the World Wildlife Fund and the Waste and Resources Action Programme recently found that wasted food can lead to a significant water and carbon footprint.