Food waste is a global issue, both environmentally and economically. Food waste accounts for nearly a quarter of all water used in agriculture and eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as costing the global economy approximately US$940 billion dollars each year. The extent of this issue has prompted global initiatives such as the Save Food Initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the ReFood scheme in Denmark.
Within Australia the issue of food waste is no different. It is estimated that approximately 25 per cent of produce is rejected due to imperfections or "cosmetic" damage, with up to 31 percent of carrots never leaving the farm. Further more Australian consumers throw away approximately 3.1 million tonnes of edible food each year, with a further 2.2 million tonnes being disposed of by the commercial and industrial sectors. This amount of food waste is estimated to cost the average Australian household between $2,200 and $3,800 per year, and the Australian economy approximately $20 billion each year. The Australian Government has recognised the extent of the issue and committed to develop a National Food Waste Strategy to halve food waste in Australia by 2030. The Strategy was launched in November 2017 by Hon Josh Frydenberg (Minister for the Environment and Energy). Several required actions have been highlighted including support for agricultural efficiency, effective and sustainable use of packaging, education and community initiatives, diversion of food waste from the commercial sector and creating value from food waste. The Australian Government has also recognised that a substantial amount of food waste is diverted from landfill through partnerships major grocery retailers such as Coles and Woolworths have with services such as Foodbank and OzHarvest. However, the complexities around food waste means adaptive integrated management is needed to tackle the problem. One additional approach was launched in 2014/2015 by Woolworths, with "The Odd Bunch". This attempts to reduce food waste by supplying consumers with the choice to purchase produce that would normally be rejected due to cosmetic imperfections. As you can see from the image above however, you will forgive their looks based on the savings at the checkout! We have been regularly buying these since discovering them at our local Woolworths and have not experienced any issues in terms of freshness or longevity of the produce. Better still it results in big savings to the weekly food bill. Find them at your local Woolworths today and start saving your cash and the environment! Further reading
0 Comments
|
AuthorMy name is Garry and I am extremely passionate about the environment. I have completed my BSc. Conservation and Wildlife Biology with First Class Honours and have worked in the Environment sector since 2009. Archives
October 2019
Categories |
Photos used under Creative Commons from Local Food Initiative, mitchell haindfield, everyoneisgone, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Takashi(aes256), ilyayakubovich.com