FEATURE food waste

of Australia’s fruit and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are some of Australia’s most wasted foods, accounting for around 50% of the nation’s total food waste1 . That’s three million tonnes of fresh produce that is grown, with much of it also harvested, processed, transported and sold — but never eaten1 .

Words End Food Waste Australia

END Food Waste Australia works with partners from paddock to plate to maximise food, reduce waste and unlock value to help businesses save food and money.

Unlocking value in horticulture

Australian horticulture growers experience average food loss rates of around 20% per farm, depending on crop type2 but a new research program is looking to change that and unlock more value from every harvest. End Food Waste Australia and Hort Innovation have launched the Reducing on-farm food waste research program working with growers and industry to maximise first-grade produce sales, uncover new markets for second- and third-grade produce and develop farm-ready resources to maximise value in every crop.

End Food Waste Australia invites growers to join a new industry-wide research program, aiming to connect growers with farm-ready and practical resources and support.

The Horticulture Sector Action Plan has informed the most impactful solutions specific to freshproduce waste.

1 FIAL, 2021, The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study.

2 Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), 2025, Crop loss/waste on Australian horticulture farms, 2023–24.

Food businesses recoup millions of dollars through food waste action

End Food Waste Australia leads the Australian Food Pact, a program for food businesses to work on collaborative efforts to reduce waste in their operations and across the food system.

Pact Signatories are leaders in food waste action and in the first three years collectively reduced food waste by 13% (saving 16,000 tonnes of food), repurposed or donated 76% of unsold food, donated the equivalent of 254 million meals to food rescue organisations, and experienced estimated savings for $57 million from food waste reduction activities3 .

If you work with food, the Australian Food Pact’s experienced team can support you to unlock opportunities to maximise value, reduce costs, and collaborate on innovative industry initiatives.

3 EFWA, 2025, Australian Food Pact Impact Report 2022–24.

Unwasting food at home

Everyone can get involved in reducing food waste, and even small changes at home can help households save up to $2500 a year1 .

The Great Unwaste campaign, powered by End Food Waste Australia, helps Australians with simple, practical behaviour change tips, including information on how to store food, create shopping lists, plan ahead, and recipes to use up what food is already in the home.

Don’t know how to get started? Try popping last night’s leftovers into a toastie for a free lunch the next day.

Ending food waste starts with all of us

Together, Australia’s growers, food businesses and Australian households have a powerful opportunity to protect resources, boost profitability and strengthen the food system by reducing food waste.