Bay of Plenty households are throwing their support behind a nationwide leftovers challenge, with Tauranga and Whakatāne emerging as strong contenders as locals log hundreds of saved plates online.

More than 3822 plates of leftovers logged across New Zealand so far in the Love Food Hate Waste NZ Leftover Legends Challenge.

Across the region, Tauranga logged 104 plates of leftovers and Whakatāne was close behind with 96 plates.

The campaign encourages households to simply eat their leftovers and log their plate online, celebrating the small everyday action that helps prevent perfectly good food from ending up in the bin.

Love Food Hate Waste NZ marketing manager Juno Scott-Kelly said the number of plates already logged shows many households are getting behind the simple habit.

“Seeing more than 3800 plates of leftovers logged so far is fantastic. It shows just how many people are remembering their leftovers and making sure good food doesn’t go to waste,” Scott-Kelly said.

“Often food isn’t wasted because people don’t care – it’s simply because leftovers get forgotten in the fridge.”

Across the country, communities are competing to see who can log the most leftover meals, with Christchurch currently leading the national leaderboard with 243 plates logged.

Scott-Kelly said it’s great to see households in the region joining the effort.

“It’s fantastic to see strong participation from Bay of Plenty communities. Every plate logged is a simple reminder that leftovers are still great food and worth enjoying.”

Eating leftovers is one of the easiest ways households can reduce food waste and save money at the same time.

With the challenge still underway, there is still plenty of time for more Bay of Plenty households to join in and help the North Island climb the leaderboard.

Kiwis can take part by eating their leftovers and logging their plate online to help their region climb the leaderboard.

– Content supplied by Love Food Hate Waste NZ