Cost builds up in Australia for wasted food

Australian Policy Online, Science Alert 6 Nov 09;

Australian households are throwing out more than $5 billion worth of food each year, more than Australians spend on digital equipment, and more than it costs to run the Australian Army. In addition to the direct financial costs of this waste, the environmental impact associated with excessive greenhouse gas emissions and water use is substantial. This paper examines who is wasting food and the motivations behind this behaviour. The research is based on an online survey of 1603 main grocery buyers across Australia.

The data reveal that the extent of food waste is related to both household income and the number of household occupants. The amount of food wasted increases with household income and decreases with larger household sizes. Households with four or more occupants waste the least food per person, while people living by themselves waste the most.

Most people are concerned about food waste and report feeling guilty when they throw away food. While respondents were able to identify how they could reduce food waste, they simultaneously reported behaviour that contradicted their own advice. For example, most people believe that planning their purchases in advance is the best way to avoid wasting food, but most of those same respondents admitted to making purchasing decisions on the spur of the moment.

Saving money is by far the greatest motivator for households to reduce food waste. Twice as many respondents said that financial considerations would be the main reason to avoid wasting food compared to those who cited the environmental benefits.

The data suggest that better planning by grocery shoppers is likely to play an important role in reducing food waste. However, such ‘conscious consumption’ tends to be inconsistent with the ‘convenience foods’ promoted by some food retailers. The free provision by some retailers of plastic shopping bags, for example, highlights the manner in which grocery outlets encourage customers to shop first and plan second.

In addition to the direct financial benefits to households, reducing food waste has the capacity to deliver significant environmental benefits at no cost to government. Food retailers represent a major barrier to implementing effective food waste policies, since their profits are contingent on the amount of food sold rather than the amount of food consumed. To overcome this, better public understanding of the problems associated with food waste needs to be a priority for governments at all levels. Without considerable policy change in this area, household waste is likely to grow as incomes rise and the number of occupants in each household shrinks.