REDUCING FOOD WASTE
It's a staggering figure, but about one-third of all food produced for human consumption around the world goes to waste. Australians are even more wasteful. Just as we can strive to make our food production more friendly to the planet, we can also reduce the amount of food we throw out. That includes edible food that never reaches the shops, unsold or uneaten food in restaurants, or food we discard at home. Globally, the impacts of food waste are astounding. It contributes greenhouse gas emissions, uses freshwater that we can ill afford to sacrifice, costs millions of farm animals their lives and accounts for billions of dollars’ worth of human labour, not to mention the vast forests cut down and wetlands drained to produce food that is never eaten, or the mountains of fertiliser and pesticides applied for no purpose. While waste occurs throughout the food value chain in Australia, roughly two- thirds of food waste is generated in consumer-facing businesses (e.g. restaurants and retail outlets) or in the home. Most of us only have to look inside our fridge for proof. But WWF is determined to reverse this trend. We aim to help businesses and consumers to avoid and reduce food waste – for example through education, waste tracking and better date labelling.
What we're doing
Consumer education
We’re looking overseas to see what other developed countries are doing to reduce food waste. Consumer education, particularly, can be effective and create long-lasting behavioural change. WWF aims to test these and other food waste reduction methods in Australia to identify practical solutions.
Food waste survey
In 2016, WWF surveyed leading Australian food businesses, as well as local government, about food waste. The survey revealed some interesting waste reduction initiatives but also plenty of scope for further improvements. We're now working with leading businesses and councils to promote the most successful food waste reduction programs around Australia.
Why it matters
Wasted food affects the environment but also our livelihoods and health. Environmentally, it accounts for about 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, 24% of the freshwater and 28 million tonnes of the fertilisers and pesticides used in agriculture. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has estimated the full cost of global food waste, including environmental, economic and social impacts, at US$2.6 trillion dollars annually. As well as reducing environmental damage, avoiding and minimising food waste will help us to feed the world's growing population and contribute to a sustainable future for agriculture in Australia. And it's something we can all contribute to, whether we’re dining out or eating at home.
What you can do to help
There are a number of steps you can take to reduce food waste in the home:
- Check the fridge before you shop and only buy what you need.
- Plan your meals. It saves time, money and reduces food waste.
- Check date labels and know the difference between:
- 'Use by’- food has to go.
- ‘Best before’- food is at its best and can be eaten after this date as long as it has been stored correctly.
- ‘Display until’- a stock control message for retailers.
- Use leftovers and be creative with your next meal.
- Ask for smaller portions or a ‘family bag’ when eating out.