Victorian vegetable grower Catherine Velisha says Australia’s food system is broken but it isn’t the supermarkets’ fault.
Each season, supermarkets won’t buy a portion of the cauliflowers she grows because they are too small, slightly yellow from sunburn or have tiny spots of leaf rub.
“There’s not one player that’s to blame, that’s all of us, that’s growers, supermarkets and shoppers,” Ms Velisha said.
Produce bought by Farmers Pick would have been ploughed in or fed to cattle. (Supplied: Catherine Velisha)
“As individuals we feel like we’re quite powerless but we’re actually quite powerful and we can make decisions every day that can potentially change a whole food system along the line.”
She said consumers could influence change by not being so picky.
“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,” she said.
Australians waste nearly 8 million tonnes of food every year, ranking it as the world’s tenth most wasteful nation, according to End Food Waste Australia (EFWA).
Of the food wasted, 70 per cent of it is edible.
These meals were made from donated food that would have gone to waste. (ABC News: Cam Lang)
EFWA’s Melissa Smith said throwing it out cost households $50 a week and the country $36 billion a year in wasted resources.
“Globally food waste has a bigger carbon footprint than flying, which in Australia it’s about 3.5 per cent of our emissions,” Ms Smith said.
Finding a solution
University mates Josh Ball and Josh Brooks-Duncan started a food rescue business in Melbourne four years ago after being shocked at seeing edible produce being dumped.
Farmers Pick pays growers for produce which will be, or has been, rejected due to size, colour or shape.
The produce is then boxed and sold to consumers.
Josh Ball and Josh Brooks-Duncan were motivated to reduce produce waste. (ABC News: Pip Courtney)
Mr Ball said it took farmers a while to realise their offers to buy unwanted produce were “legit”.
“They’d say things like ‘Why would you buy that? We’ve been told for 40 years this is rubbish, literally, or we should just put it in a paddock and let it break down’,” he said.
The company distributes 120,000 kilograms of produce each week from warehouses in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Mr Ball said the company also bought unsold fruit and vegetables at central markets.
“We’re always looking for new farmers to partner with and work together,” Mr Ball said.
“I think it’s an easy pitch.
“It’s like, ‘Hey instead of putting it in a paddock, put it in a box and we’ll pay you’.”
Working to a target
The federal government has set a target of halving food waste by 2030.
End of Food Waste Australia is focused on reducing food waste. (Supplied: End of Food Waste Australia)
EFWA’s Smith said the target was environmentally, socially and economically important.
“When we waste food we waste everything that went into making it, so that’s the land, the water, the diesel, the fertiliser, and the staff hours,” she said.
“In dollars, this adds up to literally billions a year for horticulture with a landmass the size of Victoria used every year to grow food that gets wasted.”
To reduce food loss, EFWA offers an auditing service to help food businesses identify waste and redirect it instead of going to landfill.
Providores Simon George and Sons started donating fresh produce to charity Fare Share in Brisbane after undergoing an EFWA audit.
Simon George and Sons has redirected fresh produce to charity.
Fare Share volunteers turn out 1.5 million meals a year from donated produce.
James Fien accepts donated food to make meals for people in need. (ABC News: Cam Lang)
Chef James Fien said he and his committed volunteers could produce 5 million meals a year if more food was delivered to him rather than the tip.
“The need is exponential, we’ve now got families that never in their life ever thought they’d reach out for some sort of food assistance, including those where someone has a job,” he said.
About 1,200 meals a week are made from the food donated by Simon George and Sons. (ABC News: Cam Lang)
“We aren’t even scratching the surface when it comes to food waste.”
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