An independent body to drive the National Food Waste Strategy will be set up with $4 million in Federal Government seed funding.
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley says the new body “will be a catalyst for tackling food waste in Australia by bringing together industry, businesses, government, research institutions and food rescue organisations to find innovative, practical solutions to our food waste problems”.
It is estimated more than 7.3 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in Australia, costing the national economy about $20 billion. Households account for around a third of the food that is thrown away.
When the National Food Waste Strategy was launched In 2017, the then Federal Government gave Food Innovation Australia Limited $1.3 million to oversee the implementation of a food waste reduction plan and to evaluate progress.
Federal Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans said the new body will support change in all parts of the farm-to-fork food supply chain – from farmers, food manufacturers and wholesalers through to retailers, hospitality, households and food rescue organisations.
A key responsibility of the new entity will be to implement a voluntary commitment program for industry, and to monitor reporting and performance for continual improvement.
After its seed funding runs out, the governance entity will be self-funded through industry membership fees and partnership contributions.
Click here to find out more about partnership opportunities, which close on 7 September 2020.