Healthy, wealthy and wise to food sustainability
Consumers who are savvy about nutrition - even more so than those driven by sustainability concerns - are vital to the battle to reduce food waste.
Nutrition-conscious Australians have many excess-reducing habits and, as a result, simply waste less food, according to a University of Adelaide national survey of more than a thousand shoppers.
"People who prioritise healthy eating tend to plan meals and avoid over-purchasing," says study lead author Trang Thi Thu Nguyen.
"The idea that sustainability-conscious consumers would also waste less food seems logical," she said. "After all, they actively seek out ethical and environmentally friendly products.
"However, those who prioritise sustainability often focus on choosing environmentally friendly products but do not necessarily translate that concern into waste-reducing behaviours."
Australians waste about 7.68 million tonnes of food each year, according to the university's Centre for Global Food and Resources.
That's the equivalent of 265 kilograms of waste into the kitchen bin per household annually or, to put it another way, 7.7 million meals every day.
The cost to the economy lies somewhere north of $36 billion a year and costs each family an average of $2500.
In short, we're wasting roughly twice as much food as we think we are.
A recent poll conducted by the End Food Waste Australia Cooperative Research Centre found more than three quarters of households are at least now planning to incorporate regular leftover nights into their weekly meal plans, compared to the half that used to.
Their intentions to use simple tips such as checking recommended serving sizes has also jumped from 42 per cent to 65 per cent.
The signs are encouraging that the centre's Great Unwaste project is helping people reframe food waste reduction as something achievable rather than overwhelming," according to BehaviourWorks Australia's Dr Mark Boulet.
"One of the strongest predictors of behaviour change, intended action, has skyrocketed," he said.
"By focusing on realistic and flexible solutions, more Australians are seeing the benefits of wasting less and saving more."
Dr Nguyen agrees but says a shift in approach is required to properly reduce the environmental and economic burden.
"Rather than focusing on sustainability as a standalone concept, future food waste reduction campaigns should emphasise the link between nutrition and food waste," she said.
"People are often more motivated by personal health benefits than by abstract environmental concerns, so framing waste reduction as part of a healthy lifestyle could be more persuasive."
By encouraging meal planning, mindful shopping and proper food storage as part of a balanced diet, its hoped significant strides can be made.
"Not only will this help households reduce the thousands of dollars lost to food waste each year, which is crucial in a cost-of-living crisis, it will also promote healthier eating habits," Dr Nguyen said.
"Ultimately, the key to a more sustainable food system might not be just about choosing the right products, it's about how we manage, prepare and consume them."
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