Australians throw away more than $36 billion worth of food each year, with 70 percent of it still edible.
The issue of food wastage is being highlighted as a two-day National Food Waste Summit in Melbourne from tomorrow.
End Food Waste Australia CEO Steven Lapidge said Australians threw away 7.6 million tonnes of food every year, worth $36.6 billion, while millions of families were grappling with growing living costs.
Dr Lapidge said solutions to save Australia’s food from going to waste were the focus of this week’s summit, which involved experts and industry leaders, including Coles, Simplot, Sodexo, McCain Foods and Goodman Fielder.
“The equivalent of 29 million meals go to waste every day, enough to provide lunch daily for every Australian, while 3.7 million households are struggling to put food on the table. For families, food waste costs $2500 a year on average,” he said.
“Food waste happens from paddock to plate and 70 percent is still edible,” he said.
Dr Lapidge said the Summit would showcase innovative and forward-thinking solutions like food waste-free cities and cutting-edge packaging to extend shelf life.
He said it would also highlight the environmental benefits of reducing food waste.
“The environmental impact is massive, with food waste accounting for around 3 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.”
Dr Lapidge said halving food waste in Australia by 2030 could prevent 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of removing half the vehicles from Australian roads for a year.
“Australia’s food waste doesn’t just burn a hole in our pockets, it’s an environmental disaster. The resources squandered are mind-boggling. It’s crunch time, with the cost-of-living crisis bringing the need for action into sharp focus.
“With the right moves, we can cut waste, save billions of dollars, and make sure every Aussie has enough to eat,” he said.
