On-farm food waste recently hit the headlines again with examples of oversized, misshapen or slightly chipped produce being rejected by mainstream retail markets. While the origins of who is to blame for the rigid standards around food appearance are complicated and up for debate, many farmers are utilising their oversupply of fresh, quality produce for good.
Last financial year, Foodbank, Australia’s largest food relief organisation, redistributed 3.6 million kilograms of rescued fresh produce from Queensland farmers to struggling families. The Wide Bay region’s farmers were the largest single supplier donating 1.3 million kilograms of ‘unwanted’ food – a great feat considering the difficult season they experienced. The Cross Family Farms in Bundaberg gifted 850 tonnes of excess tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, zucchinis, snow peas, watermelons and pumpkins – quality produce worth about $1.2 million.
Even more heartening, not all these donations can be considered imperfect, oversupply or ‘waste’ produce. Several farmers have pledged to supply Foodbank fresh produce regardless of gluts, oversupply and market prices. This has allowed Foodbank to guarantee regular supply for its food relief efforts in acting as a ‘pantry’ to 300 charities and community groups that deliver about 60 000 meals a day to vulnerable Queenslanders.
The need for donated fresh produce in Queensland is growing. As cost of living pressures rise, food insecurity among Queenslanders has been increasing. In the last 12 months, the number of new recipients have grown by 13 per cent, and now 3 in 5 people who are food insecure seek assistance at least once a month. This growth has resulted in Foodbank needing 35 per cent more food to meet current demands.
A common misconception when understanding food insecurity is confining it to being simply an issue affecting our urban communities. Hardship and hunger in our regional and rural communities is 11 per cent more likely than in urban areas.
Together, Queensland farmers and Foodbank are not only addressing the systemic food security issues, but also the economic issue that impacts everyone – food waste. Every year it is estimated that food waste cost the economy $20 billion.
QFF and industry members continue to work closely with government, retailers and food processors to identify areas that need improvement through the National Food Waste Strategy to achieve the goal of reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2030.
Addressing on-farm food waste is complex with no single solution. While donating excess produce to groups like Foodbank and retaining food for human consumption is preferential, the market and economic realities of recovering, harvesting and transporting imperfect produce comes at an unrecoverable financial burden for farmers. Finding a solution to on-farm food waste will require a whole-of-chain approach, and solutions must be financially viable for farm businesses to adopt them.
QFF encourages farmers that are looking for practical opportunities for dealing with rejected or imperfect produce as well as those interested in donating produce to help address food insecurity to get in contact with Foodbank. Fruit and vegetables, meat, grain and milk are all commodities that Foodbank require to fill the pantry and supply to our frontline charities that are feeding those in need.
To help Foodbank please visit www.foodbank.org.au.