It might not be something you think about, but food waste is quite a significant issue here in Australia – and around the world.
Food waste comes from our homes, supermarkets, and the catering and hospitality sector. According to Foodbank Australia, throwing away one burger wastes the same amount of water as a 90-minute shower!!
It’s an issue that needs to change – and our employer partner, Compass Group, is looking at the solutions.
How is Food Wasted?
To reduce food waste, it’s first essential to understand how food is wasted across our communities. Foodbank Australia highlights some of the biggest contributors to food waste:
- Fresh produce that doesn’t ‘look’ right for supermarkets is often discarded and never reaches the shelves, despite being perfectly fine for consumption.
- Packaged foods are thrown away due to damage to the packet that doesn’t impact the food, such as a dent in a tin can or scratch on a cardboard packet.
- Food close to its ‘best before’ date is often removed from supermarkets or thrown away in homes, despite being within a safe ‘use by’ date.
- Families and restaurants purchasing more food than they can use before it needs to be thrown away, resulting in food waste.
According to National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study:
- Food waste costs households between $2,000 and $2,500 per year.
- Australian households account for the majority of food waste (2.46 million tonnes)
- Of the 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted in Australia every year, over 70% of it is still perfectly edible.
- Food waste accounts for 3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
- 25% of the water used in agriculture is used to grow wasted food.
Compass Group’s Stop Food Waste Campaign
Stop Food Waste Day is an international day of action in the fight against food waste.
Launched in 2017 by Compass Group USA, suppliers, clients, colleagues and customers work together to raise awareness and inspire change around the critical issue of food waste.
In 2021, Compass Group’s range of food waste management systems tracked waste in its kitchens across 26 countries, leading to a 28% reduction in food waste.
In 2022, they expanded this technology across all of Compass’ 44 markets, improving tracking and accountability of kitchen waste worldwide while delivering significant reductions in the Group’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and its clients’ carbon footprint
For 2023, Compass Group are celebrating how far they’ve come in six years since launching the campaign with some incredible videos from around Australia! Hear from Compass Group and their partners here and here to learn more about this vital campaign and the difference it’s already making.
You can also learn more about their plant-forward culinary training program, which is making waves in food waste management education.
Keen to Learn More?
Head to the Stop Food Waste Day dedicated website to keep learning and discover ways to make a difference all year round!
About Compass Group
Compass Group is Australia’s largest food and support services company driving ethical and professional services standards.
Providing world-class food and support services to clients in Australia for more than forty years, Compass Group has the expertise to make great experiences happen. They partner with clients to create tailored service solutions that deliver quality and value for money for their customers and employees.
Discover more about Compass Group via their dedicated employer profile right here at Explore Careers.
