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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

Does this situation sound familiar to you, Sam?

You reach into the kitchen refrigerator looking for something to eat,

only to find a brown lettuce,

a sad-looking cucumber, and some two-week-old fish all passed its use-by date.

The date printed on the food containers showing how long it is safe to eat.

Oh, I'm guilty of wasting food, Neil. Me and many others.

According to the UN, one-third of the food we grow ends up in the rubbish bin.

And it's not just food that's wasted.

It's also the resources used to produce that food, things like water,

land and transport.

In this programme, we'll be talking about food waste.

We'll meet the people trying to stop us from throwing good food away,

and, as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Here in the UK, big supermarkets import food from abroad for customers to enjoy

all year round. Summer fruit, like strawberries and mangoes,

are flown in from tropical countries and sold in winter,

increasing carbon emissions, as well as waste.

Yes, that's why you hear the phrase,

...