Cooperation in the war on food waste

It is estimated that Australian households throw away almost $4,000 worth of unused food each year. In fact, Victorian households alone throw out 250,000 tonnes worth of food annually, according to Sustainability Victoria.

So it was good to hear this week that the federal government has awarded $30 million towards a new Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), which could see this wastage reduced, keeping more money in the pockets of Australian families.

The Fight Food Waste CRC will support industry-led collaborations between researchers, industry and the community to address the issue of food waste and help the Government to fulfil its National Food Waste Strategy commitment to halve food waste in Australia.

Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation, Senator Zed Seselja said the funding will be used to identify opportunities and solutions to reduce food wastage from paddock to plate.

“The project will tackle the growing international problem of food waste by reducing food waste throughout the supply chain, transforming unavoidable waste into innovative high-value co-products, and engaging with industry and consumers to deliver behavioural change”, Senator Seselja said.

“Winning this fight has a $20 billion annual prize by increasing industry profitability, tackling food insecurity and enhancing Australia’s reputation as a sustainable and trusted producer of premium food products.”

Food thrown in the garbage bin ends up in landfill, where it creates greenhouse gases, such as methane, as it decomposes. What’s more, when we waste food, we also waste the resources used to grow it (water, soils and energy) and all the energy used to process, package and transport food from producer, to markets and to our homes.

In the meantime, you can take steps to avoid wasting money or resources by making sure you are not wasting food.

- Buy only what you need, even if this means going out of your way to buy fresh produce at farmers’ markets or fruit shops, as they are more likely to sell smaller portions.

- Put leftovers (other than meat) into compost or your worm farm.

- Find recipes to use up any excess, such as stews or soups.

For more tips, advice and recipes, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.