Italy's households throw away 500,000 tonnes of food every year over the Christmas holidays, consumer association Assoutenti said on Sunday.
It said fresh produce like fruit and vegetables are among the most frequently thrown-away foods, along with pasta, seafood, panettoni and even spumante sparkling wine.
The association estimates that the average Italian family will chuck up to 80 euros worth of food in the bin over the festive period.
It said the value of waste in Italy's food sector added up nine billion euros a year and around 6.5 billion euros of that was thrown away in the home.