Food waste is a big issue in Australia, with nearly eight million tonnes (eight billion kilograms) of food discarded to landfill each year. This has a significant negative impact on the environment by taking up space in landfill and creating methane emissions, while also representing a missed opportunity to provide food to people going hungry.

Catherine Velisha, a Victorian farmer, is one of the voices raising awareness about the crisis. Each season, a portion of her crops, such as cauliflower, is rejected by supermarkets simply because they don’t meet ‘perfect’ standards. This includes cauliflowers that may be slightly smaller, slightly sunburnt or have minor imperfections, even though they’re still edible and nutritious.

When imperfect cauliflowers and other produce is rejected by consumers, it leads to more waste, contributing to the overall problem.

"Supermarkets go off what's left on the shelves, so if you're rummaging through cauliflowers or broccolis or apples and picking out certain ones, the data shows they sell those certain ones, and then that makes the spec," Catherine told ABC News.

Statistics by End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) show that 70 per cent of the food wasted every year is still edible, costing households $50 a week and the country $36 billion a year in wasted resources. The environmental impact is just as serious, as food waste contributes to 3.5 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions.

Fortunately, companies like Farmers Pick, founded by university mates John Ball and Josh Brooks-Duncan in Melbourne, are tackling this issue. They buy rejected produce from farmers which would otherwise be discarded or fed to cattle and redistribute them to consumers at affordable prices. This also helps farmers reduce both food waste and financial loss.

Farmers Pick now distributes over 120,000 kilograms of rescued produce each week across Melbourne and Brisbane, providing an affordable and sustainable option to consumers. Other charitable organisations like FareShare in Brisbane and Melbourne are also playing a part in this movement by transforming fresh produce that would otherwise have gone to waste into millions of cooked, nutritious meals for people in need each year.

Meals prepared by Fareshare (Image: Fareshare)

The Australian government has set a target to halve food waste by 2030, collaborating with farmers, businesses and consumers to deliver the National Food Waste Strategy. As consumers, the choices we make have a direct impact on food waste. We can collectively change the food system by being less picky about the produce we buy, giving imperfect items a chance, getting involved in community efforts and helping to prevent a significant amount of waste down the line.

Images courtesy of FareShare.

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