Be honest - how much food do you throw out every week?

The UK wastes more than 12 million tonnes of food a year, according to the European Union, with households the biggest culprits. Shops and cafes get rid of plenty, too.

Now Kingston councillors are being sent on a fact-finding mission to visit a 'social supermarket', part of a new London-wide scheme designed to sell surplus in-date food at reduced prices.

Councils can bid for a share of £300,000 to open one.

Kington Council leader Kevin Davis said: "It is extraordinary to think that supermarkets are throwing away perfectly safe and edible food when families on low incomes are struggling to put meals on their tables.

"I have asked council officers to work alongside our voluntary sector partners to establish what impact a social supermarket could have in the borough and to consider making a bid for funding.

"I have also asked for a visit to be arranged to view an existing provision and we will be sending councillors to have a look at this in action."

Kingston food bank organiser Paul Pickhaver said: "What's great, and to be welcomed, is that councillors and the council are recognising the issue of food poverty in Kingston, and wanting to do something creative about it.

"Food poverty is a symptom of something else - there are underlying causes. There are other factors like the cost of housing and low incomes.

"I also welcome that schemes like this reduce waste. We throw away far too much food and businesses locally actually pay to dispose of that waste."

The Community Shop, set up in Lambeth, sells fresh and packaged food at about one-third its original retail cost, while excess stock is made into meals for its cafe.

Budget advice, cooking classes and other training are also offered.

Last year an all-party parliamentary inquiry, comprising church leaders and MPs from across the political spectrum, published the Feeding Britain report into hunger across the nation.

It concluded: "Our anger knows no bounds that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible food which is euphemistically termed ‘surplus’, is destroyed at a substantial cost, when it, alone, could eliminate hunger in our society."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson hopes his plan will help low-income families put meals on the table, and save small businesses money on landfill costs.

Low income is one of the main reasons people are referred to Kingston food bank, the charity's latest figures show.