Food waste in Australia has been under wraps for too long. Here we delve into some of the nation’s most wasteful habits and consider what we can do about them.
Imagine binning a handful of cash… you just wouldn’t do it, would you? And yet based on recent figures, the average Australian household throws away almost $1,100 worth of food each year… as a nation, that’s a whopping $10 billion we’re tossing in the bin.
Of course we’re all guilty of it, whether it’s losing track of those ‘use by’ dates or ordering take away when there’s food that needs eating in the fridge. But it’s little indiscretions like these that see Australians generating more than four million tonnes of food waste per year, with much of this ending up in landfill.
Combined with food from other waste streams, such as food production and retail, it’s estimated that annually in Australia around 7.5 million tonnes of food is wasted – and at a time when two million Australians seek food relief each year.
So where are we going so drastically wrong?
Unraveling our rubbish
On the home front, it seems that much of our food waste comes down to poor planning. According to a NSW Government survey through its Love Food Hate Waste program, fresh food and leftovers make up the bulk of what we bin, and leaving food in the fridge or freezer for too long was the main reason for wasting it. Other complaints included buying and cooking too much and not thinking ahead.
On top of this, much of our food doesn’t even make it off the farm. According to Horticulture Australia at least 277,700 tonnes of fruits and vegetables is wasted each year, representing around 25 per cent of production.
Strict supermarket specifications are typically cited as the cause, with produce being dumped for purely aesthetic reasons despite being perfectly edible. The banana is a case in point, as demonstrated by the ABC’s recent War on Waste series, which showed thousands of bunches – which take nine months to grow by the way – being pulped for failing to measure up to unrealistic standards.
The unseen costs
The cost of all this waste to the Australian economy is estimated to be $20 billion a year. When you factor in the environmental impact, we’re paying an even bigger price.
Uneaten food represents a significant squandering of resources – including the land, water and energy used in its production and distribution. It’s also a major source of avoidable greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
When food rots in landfill it releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times stronger at trapping heat in the atmosphere than the carbon dioxide that comes out of your car. Magnified globally you can start to see the scale of the problem. In fact, it’s estimated that if global food waste was a country it would be the third highest greenhouse gas emitter behind only the USA and China.
Putting a lid on it
It’s clear that as a country and consumers we need to clean up our act. Food relief organisations are already playing a major role in this. Foodbank, for instance, sourced and salvaged 33 million kilos of food last year, distributing it to charities around Australia.
Supermarkets are also adopting methods to reduce their food waste including marketing wonky looking fruit and veg. Since launching its ‘Imperfect Picks’ range in 2014, Harris Farm has reportedly sold four million kilos of ‘imperfect’ product – and Woolworths has recently followed suit with ‘The Odd Bunch’.
A step in the right direction, sure, but to really cut back on food waste we need to reacquaint ourselves with what it takes to put food on our plate. A great place to start is the short movie ‘Supervalue’, which uses a firm family favourite – the fish finger – to show the true ‘paddock to plate’ impact of food waste. Watch it and you’ll no doubt have a renewed respect for the food you eat and be ready to make some changes.
7 ways to make a difference
Even simple adjustments to the way we buy and store food can make all the difference to the amount of waste we create. To help get you started, try the following tips for size:
- Plan meals in advance – it’ll save you time and money too
- Instead of hitting supermarkets on the fly, create a shopping list, checking the cupboards and fridge as you go (so you don’t double up)
- Get your portion sizes right – use this serving size calculator from Love Food Hate Waste to help
- Consider using HelloFresh food boxes with the exact ingredients you’ll need for each tasty meal
- Learn how to store food correctly to maximise its shelf life
- Download the ‘Love Your Leftovers’ app to get creative with any leftover food – or freeze it for a later date
- Start composting and worm farming to put any uneaten food back into the soil – contact your local council for more info.
Of course breaking bad habits takes a bit of time and effort. But by reducing your food waste you’ll not only be boosting your bank balance, you’ll be doing your bit to benefit society, the economy and our environment. A challenge worth stepping up to, don’t you think?
Find out how you can reduce food waste, and save money, with fresh, pre-measured ingredients and recipes delivered straight to your door.
This article was first published on the HelloFresh blog in Aug, 2017.
