Did you know that in 2020, households in Australia generated a staggering 2.46 million metric tons of food waste? It’s hard to believe, but it’s true – almost a quarter of the food purchased in the country ends up in the trash — a significant problem that demands our attention and action.
But don’t worry; the good news is that efforts are underway to address this issue. Keep reading to find out more about the state of food waste in Australia and the steps being taken to tackle this pressing challenge.
Statistics on Australia’s Food Waste
- Australia is responsible for about 7.6 million tonnes of annual food waste.
- Households in Australia account for the majority of food waste (2.46 million tonnes).
- 3.3 million metric tons of discarded food is sent to landfills.
- Eighteen per cent of the bought food is wasted, even though 70% is perfectly edible.
- Food waste accounts for a horrifying 40% of a typical family’s trash.
- A whopping 65 per cent of food is wasted in the hospitality industry.
- Australia loses $36.6 billion annually due to food waste.
- As much as 17.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are released during wasted food production and disposal.
- By 2030, Australia hopes to cut food waste in half.
- The savings from cutting down on food waste will amount to $58 billion annually.
Stats on Australia’s Food Waste Problem
1. Australia is responsible for about 7.6 million tonnes of annual food waste.
(Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment)
Approximately 312 kilograms of food per person per year was wasted in Australia, as reported by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment. This number is up by 0.3 million tons from the preceding reporting period, 2018-2019.
2. 2021 saw 1 in 6 Australians experiencing food insecurity.
(FIAL, Foodbank)
1.2 million children in Australia were undernourished, and 1 in 6 adults was also food insecure, according to newly released data on food waste in the country. FIAL found that in 2020, the need for emergency food assistance increased to 47 per cent due to rising food insecurity. 43% of food insecure people reported that they frequently went a day without eating due to financial constraints.
3. Australia’s households are responsible for 2.46 million tonnes of the country’s total food waste.
(FoodWise, FIAL)
In 2021, 2.46 million tons of food were thrown away in homes, accounting for nearly one-third of the total. The fact that the typical Australian family spends around $7,344 per year on food makes these numbers even more unsettling.
Those between the ages of 18 and 24, those with children, and those with an annual income of more than $100,000 are the worst offenders when it comes to food waste in Australia’s households.
4. Australia’s primary production wastes 1.68 million tons of food annually
(Better Homes & Gardens, Statista, Ecoguardians)
Primary production wastes about 1.68 million metric tons of food annually, making it the second largest contributor to food waste after households.
Another major contributor to wasted food is the hospitality sector. About 5 per cent of food is wasted in restaurants due to spoilage, while another 65 per cent is thrown away during the cooking process.
And according to data and statistics on food waste in supermarkets, anywhere from 20 to 40 per cent of fruits and veggies are rejected even before they can make it to the shelves, largely because of specific standards for food appearance.
Statistics from Australia’s largest industries reveal some disturbing patterns of food waste:
- There can be as much as 2.5 kilograms of wasted food per cover per week in a restaurant.
- In hospitals, daily food waste averages 2 kilograms per patient.
- Every year, Australian businesses generate 2.5 million tons of biowaste.
5. 3.3 million metric tons of discarded food is sent to landfills.
(FIAL)
Commercial compositing accounted for 1,372 MT, while “on-farm disposal” accounted for the same amount. Only 10,126 MT of the total food waste in the country was refined in a way that salvaged some of its value.
Recent data on trash disposal rates reveal that food scraps account for more than one-third of all organic waste in Australia, with only 42% recycled and nearly 7 million tonnes sent to landfills.
6. 18 per cent of all purchased food is thrown away, even though seventy per cent of it can still be eaten.
(FoodWise, FIAL)
Statistics show that roughly 18% of all food purchased in Australia is wasted. That’s the equivalent of tossing out one out of every five bags of groceries you buy, so it’s not surprising that food accounts for 40 per cent of the garbage most people throw away.
Another way to consider the magnitude of food waste in Australia is as follows: In total, Australians throw away enough food to load 450,000 garbage trucks.
The fact that 70 per cent of wasted food was still perfectly edible only adds to the shocking nature of this statistic.
7. NSW residents are the most wasteful with their food.
(FoodWise, FIAL)
FIAL found that NSW households not only throw away more food than people in other states but also throw away most of it in landfills, contributing to environmental pollution.
The average New South Wales household throws away $1,036 worth of food each year, based on a research study on household waste in the state. The survey also revealed that similar to the national average (around 40%), food accounts for 38% of all garbage in New South Wales homes.
8. Almost 30 per cent of Australians have left food uneaten at a restaurant.
(RMIT University)
When eating out, 29% of Australians still need to finish their meals, leaving approximately 21% of their food uneaten. This issue stems from serving sizes that need to be bigger.
9. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a significant rise in food waste across the country.
(The Guardian)
A record $10.3 billion worth of food was wasted in Australia due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. This amounts to $1,043 per household per year. Nearly half of those polled in 2020 attributed it to spending more time in the kitchen, while 37% blamed their increased waste on trying new recipes.
Meal-kit services and the growing popularity of food delivery have contributed to a rise in food waste. According to the survey results, those who used such services were responsible for twice as much wasted food as those who didn’t. More than 60% of people who responded used delivery services, and 33% of those people ordered food at least once every week during the pandemic. Thirty-six per cent of people used meal-kit delivery services, up from 8 per cent.
10. Fresh produce accounts for 33% of all food waste.
(FoodWise, FIAL)
Approximately 33% ($2.67 billion) of Australia’s annual food waste is thought to be comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables. The second largest contributor to food waste, at 27% and $2.18bn, is leftover meals, followed by packaged & long-life products, at 15%.
Finally, takeout and delivery account for the smallest percentage of waste (7%, $566 million) and frozen food & drinks each account for 9% ($727 million).
In contrast, FIAL concludes that only six of the 18 evaluated commodities were responsible for most of the food waste.
In 2019–2020, the average Australian consumed 97 litres of milk. This put milk’s environmental impact in the upper echelons.
Household milk waste accounts for 1,231,979 tons of CO2, second only to produce 2,910,294 tons of CO2 from red meat.
Food waste in Australia: Economic Costs and Environmental Consequences
11. The annual cost to Australia of wasted food amounts to $36.6 billion.
(WMRR, Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment)
About US$19.3 billion, or $2,000-$2,500 per household, comes from individual homes. The Fight Food Waste CRC found that annually, Australian families throw away $970 worth of edible food per person.
12. Food wastage wastes other resources
(FIAL)
Throwing away food wastes the resources used to grow, harvest, and prepare it. Two thousand six hundred gigaliters of water are used annually for food production in the country, with most of that produced food being thrown away. If all wasted food in Australia were eaten, about 286 litres of water per person per day could be saved.
Furthermore, the area of land dedicated to growing wasted food in Australia is over 25 million hectares and is more significant in size than in Victoria.
13. 17.5 million T of CO2 are produced and discarded annually due to wasted food production and disposal.
(FIAL, LiveLighter, Australian Dept. of Ag & Water & Environment)
This number is already equivalent to the annual emissions from Australia’s most polluting power station, and it doesn’t even include the impact of food exports. Additionally, it is about 3.5 per cent of the total emissions in the country.
Furthermore, the methane produced by food decay in landfills is the same as nearly 6.8 million tons of carbon dioxide. Methane contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect and is a natural gas that is 25 X more toxic than CO2.
Global Food Waste Stats
14. The annual cost of food waste worldwide is estimated at $936 billion.
(Food and Agriculture Organization, World Economic Forum)
The WEForum estimates that food waste causes approximately US$2.6 trillion in irreparable losses annually due to environmental and social costs.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that food waste costs the economy $936 billion annually. If we add in the health and economic costs, estimated to be around $12 trillion, this figure could rise even higher.
15. An estimated 660 million people will be hungry worldwide in 2030.
(United Nations)
Additionally, 768 million people around the world are undernourished. There is adequate food in the world to feed everyone, but one in nine people still goes to bed hungry every night.
16. The annual global food waste amounts to 931 million tonnes.
(Forbes)
The residential sector generates the most waste (569 million T), followed by the restaurant and catering sector (244 million T), and finally, the retail sector (118 million T). A staggering 74 kilograms per person is lost annually due to food waste worldwide.
17. Food waste is highest in China
(Forbes)
However, Australia (102kg) comes out on top when looking at food waste on a per-person basis. This is almost three times as much as Russia (33kg) and nearly twice what the United States throws away per person (59 kilograms).
In addition, Australia is ahead of both China (with over 91 million tonnes wasted annually, but only 64 kilograms per person) and India (with 50 kilograms wasted per person, or 69 million tonnes wasted annually).
Efforts to Reduce Food Waste in Australia
18. By 2030, Australia hopes to cut food waste in half.
(FIAL)
FIAL estimates that a 52% reduction in food waste is possible by 2030 if the suggested plan to half the country’s food waste is fully implemented. That’s a decrease from 312 to 148 kilograms per person annually or a reduction in food waste to 4.4 million tons.
19. During the next decade, Australia needs to invest $7.5–$7.5 million to cut down on food waste.
(FIAL)
A total of $4.6 billion has been committed or assumed as of this writing, meaning another 28% will need to be committed in the future. According to FIAL estimates, the industrial sector is expected to pledge $1.45 billion (75% of the total) via voluntary agreements. The government has already pledged $4.55 billion, which is anticipated to contribute an additional $0.35 billion. The state governments have pledged $0.64 billion and are expected to contribute an additional $0.16 billion.
20. 58 billion dollars will be saved by cutting down on food waste.
(FIAL)
In particular, this will prevent the waste of 22.4 million T of food and the emission of 50.5 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to removing half the country’s vehicles from the road for an entire year.
Direct savings for the industry total $39 billion, while consumers save roughly $15 billion.
Bottom Line
Food waste is a significant issue that has both economic and environmental implications. Approximately 20% of food that is purchased ends up being discarded, with 70% of that being edible. This not only leads to significant financial losses but also contributes to environmental and social problems.
It is important to raise awareness about the issue of food waste and to work towards reducing the amount of food thrown away. By doing so, we can conserve resources and help mitigate the negative impacts of food waste on the environment and society.