A MILLION pound bid has been launched to crack down on the 48,000 tonnes of food thrown away in Brighton and Hove every year.

Brighton and Hove Food Partnership has submitted a bid toSainsbury's for £1 million for the city to tackle food waste.

The bid was made just days after the partnership fed 5,000 people on The Level in Brighton with curries made from surplus food.

The partnership has responded to a the supermarket's campaign which is looking to invest £1 million in ideas and innovations to reduce food waste.

The campaign is designed to create a blueprint that can be replicated across the country starting in just one UK town with a population of less than 300,000 and at least one Sainsbury's store.

To win, the partnership will need to show “significant evidence of community commitment to sustainable and innovative methods of reducing food waste now and in the future”.

The partnership hopes that a citywide project would help bring together a range of smaller groups working on the issue to create a much bigger impact.

The bid has already been backed by three local Sainsbury's stores in Lewes Road, New England Road and West Hove, the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex, community groups and charities including Fareshare, The Real Junk Food Project, Hangleton and Knoll Project and the Federation of Disabled People.

The application also received the cross party support from Brighton and Hove City Council.

Vic Borrell, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership director, said: “I believe we are an ideal test-bed for this Sainsbury's challenge.

“Brighton and Hove has a track record of working on food at an individual, community and policy level; creative and digital talent; the passion and creativity of volunteer-led community food waste groups; the expertise offered by the two universities and the support of the managers from the three largest Sainsbury's stores.

“As Feeding the 5,000 showed, stopping food waste can bring communities together to have fun via shared meals and events.”

To help the city win the competition, residents are asked to contact Sainsbury's via Twitter @sainsburysnews using #WasteLessSaveMore #Brighton.