A new campaign launched today by not-for-profit organisation End Food Waste Australia, with the support of the Australian Government, will help Australians save food, save money, and save the environment.
The average household spends over $2,500 a year on food they end up throwing in the bin.
But a new national campaign, informed by years of nation-leading behavioural science research, will help us cut food waste with a few simple changes.
Better food storage, flexible meal planning and creative use of leftovers are just some of the practical tips suggested.
The research shows the average Australian household wastes more than four kilograms of food a week - more than twice the amount they think they do.
Collectively, households around the country are throwing away $19.3 billion a year of uneaten food.
Food waste from farm to fork costs the Australian economy about $36.6 billion per year, with the equivalent of 29 million meals thrown away every single day. Around a third of food waste happens in the home.
We can also make a big impact on the environment by cutting food waste. It takes a landmass bigger than Victoria to grow all the food that is unused in Australia each year. This waste is responsible for around three per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions and is a huge tax on our land and water resources.
The campaign is an important part of Australia's goal to halve food waste by 2030, outlined in the National Food Waste Strategy.
