The food and drink sector is set to cut its water use by 20 per cent by 2020, according a new report from a government and industry-led taskforce that urges firms to commit to better water stewardship.

The Federation House Commitment (FHC) annual report this week revealed that 54 firms have now joined its voluntary scheme, managed jointly by the Defra-backed Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

The report showed the signatories to the commitment have reduced their water footprint by 11.9 per cent per tonne of product since 2007.

Last year alone, water use amongst the group fell 5.3 per cent from 24.2 million metres cubed to 22.9 million metres cubed, enough to fill 520 Olympic swimming pools.

WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin welcomed the progress, noting that 16 new firms joined the programme last year, including Heinz, HP, and Thorntons.

"These figures are a clear sign that the food and drink industry is making good steps towards achieving the ambitious target of a 20 per cent water saving by 2020," she said.

"It's also encouraging to see the strong increase in signatories signing up to the agreement. The benefits of the voluntary approach are that the organisations involved secure corporate commitment to specific targets that are integrated into business strategies."

She added that signatories also benefit from access to technical expertise provided by WRAP and advice from their peers on how to enhance water efficiency.

FDF is now urging more firms to commit to the voluntary target.

Nick Bunker, chairman of FDF's sustainability steering group and president of Kraft Foods UK & Ireland, said the industry could not afford to "rest on its laurels".

"Water scarcity is a growing risk that impacts upon everyone so I urge all food and drink manufacturers to sign up to this Commitment to improve water use efficiency and reduce the pressure on the UK's water supplies," he said.