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Pre-packaged fruit and vegetables provide consumers with advice on how to store the product, but retailers must do more to provide storage advice for products sold loose, according to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

The call came as figures from Wrap's Love Food Hate Waste campaign found UK households throw away nearly £3bn worth of fruit and vegetables every year, accounting for 40% of the total 6.7 million tones of food waste generated annually.

It found that potatoes and apples are most frequently thrown away whole, without being touched, while most fruit and vegetables will maintain freshness for longer if they are stored in the fridge.

Leaving fruit or vegetables in their packaging in the fridge could also help maintain freshness, it said.

Wrap chief executive Liz Goodwin said: "The research highlights an opportunity for retailers to give more storage information to their customers whether they are buying loose or pre-packed produce."

Wrap has said that there are a number of different approaches to reducing food waste and packaging and technology can play an important role. For example, the shelf life of products can be increased by using oxygen scavengers, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), interactive films and resealable packaging.

Wrap will publish detailed findings about the nature, amount and origin of food waste produced by UK households next month.

The research has been carried out by Wrap and East Malling Research with Sainsbury's, Mack Multiples Division, Reading Scientific Services and the Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research at Bristol University.