Gordon Brown has urged households to stop wasting so much food, as a report warns that a decade of price rises lies ahead.

The report, jointly compiled by the US government and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, forecasts food prices will increase by 5% this year alone, and will continue to rise over the next 10 years.

Last night, the Prime Minister called for prudence and urged British households to become thriftier with their food. A Cabinet Office report, commissioned by Brown, will later today report that 4.1 million tons of food is wasted every year.

Brown says households throw away £8 worth of leftovers each week, despite spending 9% of their income on food. By making what we purchase go further we could save £420 a year, the report concludes.

Keep your food bills looking trim with Moneywise's guide to cutting the cost of your weekly shop.

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