New Zealand farms and food producers appear to be outpacing other countries when it comes to reducing food waste.

A report commissioned by the Ministry of Environment reveals more than 1.2 million tonnes of food is wasted or thrown away here every year.

The total proportion of food wasted is between 5 and 10 percent - considerably lower than the global estimate of 30 to 40 percent.

University of Otago nutrition professor and report author Sheila Skeaff says household food waste is still as high as most other countries, but producers are ahead.

"We produce a lot of food and we're pretty good at making sure that we make the best use of that, particularly on farms and in processing."

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