It's Time to Take Food Waste More Seriously!

Did you know there is enough food produced globally to feed everyone? Over one third of all food produced is lost or wasted (1.3 billion tonnes) costing the global economy close to $940 billion each year. These 1.3 billion tonnes are enough to feed 870 million hungry people. Approximately 60% of the food wasted is fruit and vegetables however one in nine people around the world do not have enough food to eat, that’s 793 million people who are undernourished. Food waste causes 8% of the greenhouse gases heating the planet. In Australia:

• Over 5 million tonnes of food end up as landfill, enough to fill 9,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.
• The Government estimates food waste costs the Australian economy $20 billion each year.
• One in five shopping bags end up in the bin = $3,800 worth of groceries per household each year.
• 35% of the average household bin is food waste.
• Nearly four million people experience food insecurity each year, one quarter are children.
• Over 710,000 people rely on food relief each month, one quarter are children.
• Regional and remote communities are being hit the hardest and are a third more likely to experience food insecurity than those living in capital cities.

It's time to take food waste more seriously people!

Sources:

2016 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics

FAO Save Food Global Food Waste and Loss Initiative

FAO The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015

FAO Food Wastage Footprint Report 2013

Carbon Footprint Calculator

https://www.environment.gov.au/topics/environment-protection/nwp/reporting/organic-waste

https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wastegrants/organics-infrastructure.htm

https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wastegrants/organics-infrastructure.htm

ACOSS Poverty in Australia 2016

FoodBank Hunger Report 2018