China and India produce more household food waste than any other country worldwide at an estimated 92 million and 69 million metric tons every year, respectively. This is unsurprising, considering both countries have by far the largest populations globally.
Households are the major contributors to food waste globally. It is estimated approximately 40%-50% of food waste occurs at the consumer stage.
With each person binning nearly 300 kilograms of food a year, Australia still sits in fourth position on the global food wastage rank.
Fight food waste
The majority of food waste in Australia comes from our homes. Australian households waste 2.5 million tonnes of food each year, or more than four kilograms per household per week.
Food Waste in Australia
Australian households account for the majority of food waste (2.46 million tonnes) 70% of the 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted in Australia every year is edible.
Most used materials – waste generation vs recycling
In 2020-21, the three largest sources of waste were building and demolition (25.2 mega tonnes), organics (14.4 mega tonnes), and ash from C&I electricity generation (12 mega tonnes).
According to the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2022, Australia ranks 22nd in terms of food quality and safety.
One of the most common reasons is that Australian households cook too much food and do not know how to use leftovers. We also throw food out by mistake before the use-by date, or forget about food in the fridge until they have expired.
Federal Action. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030. The EPA's Food Recovery Hierarchy prioritizes actions with the most benefit.
Because of its strict zero food waste policies, sustainable agricultural practices, and the healthy eating habits of its people, France has retained the top spot in the Food Sustainability Index, a study of 34 countries by The Economist Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation.
As a nation, Americans generate more waste than any other nation in the world with 4.5 pounds (2.0 kg) of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day, fifty five percent of which is contributed as residential garbage.
1. Chicken parmigiana. This classic Aussie chicken dish – with roots in Italian-American cooking – is a staple offering at many pub menus in the country. Whether you call it a parmi/parmy or a parma (but never a parmo), there's huge debate about where does the best parmigiana in Australia.
Italy is the world's healthiest country, according to the CEOWORLD magazine ranking that uses data from the United Nations Population Division, the World Bank, the Lancet study, and the World Health Organisation, with Singapore coming at a close second.
The largest rubbish tip in Australia is situated in Eastern Creek, Sydney. The rubbish tip represents the biggest integrated recycling/landfill facility, not only in Australia but in the Southern Hemisphere too.
Up to 1.3 billion tonnes of perfectly edible food is wasted each year. Here's what we can all do about it.
Liquid waste can be divided into three main streams: sewerage, trade waste and hazardous liquid waste.
However, you'd be wrong – it's not avocado that is the best-selling item, says Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci; it is, in fact, berries.
New data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics from the Australian Health Survey (AHS) has revealed that vegetables and dairy are the top two food groups lacking in Australians' diets with more than 96% not eating enough vegetables and legumes, and 90% not having enough milk, cheese and yoghurt for ...
Evidence suggests Australians need to eat less:
red meats (adult males only) food and drinks high in saturated fat, added sugar, added salt, or alcohol (e.g. fried foods, most take-away foods from quick service restaurants, cakes and biscuits, chocolate and confectionery, sweetened drinks).