OzHarvest Newcastle manager Monique Maguire said the event, held at James Street Plaza, aimed to encourage members of the community to think more about what waste their household was causing.

“With one in five bags of groceries ending up in the bin, we hope this event will inspire people with tips and tricks on how to reduce food waste at home and enjoy a delicious free lunch of Chickpea and Vegetable Hot Pot from rescued ingredients,” Ms Maguire said.

“It’s been great. We have had a lot of people come down to see what it’s all about and have something to eat.

“We want to raise awareness around the four million tonnes of food that’s wasted every year in Australia.”

Ms Maguire said change starts at home by rescuing forgotten fridge food.

“We just want people to think about that and go home and make simple changes like planning the meals, making a list and taking that list shopping and sticking to it,” she said.

“If they do that they won’t waste food, it’s as simple as that.

“Forgetting food in your fridge is the main reason that food is wasted at home.

“People just need to get creative and ask themselves, ‘What can I make with what’s in there?’”

Cooking demonstrations were held at Think.Eat.Save to show how to transform leftovers and commonly wasted produce into delicious meals.

Woolworths was also on handing out free fruit and vegetables  from their Odd Bunch range.

Think.Eat.Save was held nationally in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme.

OzHarvest estimates over four million tonnes of food goes to waste each year, costing the economy an around $20 billion, nearly half of which is generated by households. 

Find out more food-saving tips and recipes at www.ozharvest.org.