DRIVING THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE IN AUSTRALIA

Unfortunately, according to the Government’s National Food Waste Baseline report, one third of food in the world is wasted in search of a visually appetising supermarket shelf. Additionally, the report recorded that 25 per cent of water used in agriculture is used to grow food that will eventually be thrown away.   

One of the most astonishing figures in this report is that if food waste represented a country, it would produce eight per cent of the world’s greenhouse gasses, thereby qualifying for the unenviable position as the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses on the planet; following the USA and China.   

It gives a stark picture of how growing food in the quantities currently required to support the global population affects the environment and its resources, from de-forestation through to the production of extra greenhouse gasses such as methane.

HOW DOES AUSTRALIA FARE?

According to the National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Strategy, wastage in Australia is equal to approximately 312 kilograms of food waste per person, per year. This is roughly equivalent to around one in five bags of groceries or, at the time of writing, $2,000 to $2,500 per household, per year.  

This is a figure big enough to make anyone do a double take in the current climate of rising costs of living. As a country that has experienced decades of drought in the not-so-distant past it is also jarring to note that Australia uses around 2,600 gigalitres of water… just to grow food that ends up wasted. This equates to five times the volume of water in the Sydney Harbour. 

AUSSIES MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Aussie businesses are beginning to see where they can fill the gap between food waste and hungry families. OzHarvest is one such company, with an outlook that states there is no such thing as too much food because there’s always someone in need. The group collects excess food across various commercial outlets and delivers it directly to over 1,300 charities nationwide.  

OzHarvest was founded by Ronni Kahn in 2004, who after witnessing large volumes of food waste within the hospitality industry, was fuelled by the desire to find a comprehensive solution to minimise food waste. 

Equipped with only one van at the time, what started as a passion project has now grown to a company with a sizeable fleet across various major cities in Australia and with a steadily growing global presence as well. 

While they’ve successfully delivered nearly 100 million meals to communities experiencing food insecurity since 2004, OzHarvest also run education campaigns and nutrition workshops. They’ve even launched their own rescue food supermarket as they look for innovative campaigns to tackle the problem of food wastage. 

GOVERNMENT ACTION

Australia has set a goal to halve its food waste by 2030, aligning with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal. In order to reach this goal faster, the government has set up Stop Food Waste Australia, which is a series of plans to reduce food waste nationwide.  

This strategy also includes developing the Australian Food Pact voluntary agreement for industry, diverting more food to the food rescue sector and support for educational campaigns across the country.  

The federal government has established its role as largely an educational one, providing national guidance and plans for the states to then follow. The government also supports and encourages state, territory and local governments to continue the fight themselves and continue to build robust food waste programs and policies.  

The government has also taken responsibility for conducting national waste reporting to consolidate key national waste and recycling information as well as food waste data.  

LOOKING FORWARD

The average consumer plays only a small role in global food waste when compared with corporations and large businesses but that doesn’t mean you can’t make meaningful change. Planning meals, storing food properly, getting creative with leftovers and donating unwanted viable food are all ways we can help the planet and help those less fortunate. 

If you’re interested in reading more about corporations doing their part for the environment, read on here for how Isuzu Australia is tackling its own packaging and recycling goals.