Food Waste

In Archibull we have been researching food waste in Australia. Here are some facts.

Why We Waste

·         Australians buy too much food that they don’t eat              

·         We put too much on our plate, when we get full we throw it

·         Farmers throw out food just because it’s not the right shape or colour

·         Shoppers reject blemished or bruised fruit

What We Waste

·         Australians waste up to 3 regular fridges per household a year

·         We spend $5 BILLION on food that is not eaten

·         1 out of 4 shopping bags purchased are not eaten which is 140kg per person over a year

Types of food that is wasted

·         33% of Fresh Food wasted

·         27% of Leftovers wasted

·         15% of Packaged Products

·         9% of Drinks

·         9% of Frozen Food

·         7% of Takeaways

Environmental Effects Of Food Waste

·         The major resources required to grow food are water, fertiliser, labour, land, transport, petrol and packaging – all wasted when food is thrown out

·         Dumping a kilogram of beef means wasting the 50,000 litres of water used in its production

·         47% of waste in landfill is food and green organic waste

·         Landfill pollutes rivers and waterways

·         Food waste in Australian landfills is the second largest source of methane – a gas 23 times more harmful than CO₂ from cars

What Can You Do

·         Buy only the food you need not what you want

·         Buy all kinds of fruit and vegetables because if they have bruises it means that it is fresh from farmers

·         Use leftovers; make sure you wrap them well so they don’t dry out in your fridge

·         Keep a food dairy so you know what you are wasting