The Australian Government has announced AU$4 million (US$2.8 million) in seed funding to create a new independent entity that will be responsible for driving food waste reduction. The funding is part of the country’s commitment to halve food waste by 2030.

“Partnership proposals are being sought to establish a new food waste governance body to drive our National Food Waste Strategy,” says the Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley. “This new body will be a catalyst for tackling food waste in Australia by bringing together industry, businesses, government, research institutions and food rescue organizations to find innovative, practical solutions to our food waste problems.”

“By reducing food waste, we can put money back into household budgets, improve business bottom lines and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill,” she stresses.

In total, Australia wastes more than 7.3 million tons of food every year costing the economy over AU$20 billion (US$14.3 billion) annually. Households account for around a third of Australia’s food waste, throwing away 3.1 million tons of edible food a year, which costs the average household between AU$2,200 (US$1,573) and AU$3,800 (US$2,717).

Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans, says that the body will support change in all parts of the farm-to-fork food supply chain – from farmers, food manufacturers and wholesalers through to retailers, hospitality, households and food rescue organizations, as well as create new jobs in food innovation.

A key responsibility of the new entity will be to implement a voluntary commitment program for industry and to monitor reporting and performance for continual improvement.

“Voluntary commitment programs are a tried and tested way of reducing food waste by focusing on prevention, reuse and food chain innovation, working with all stakeholders across the food value chain to drive innovative and practical solutions,” adds Assistant Minister Evans.

The voluntary commitment program signatories can also support households by helping them to better manage the food that they buy and grow, wasting less and saving money.

Establishing an independent entity for food waste delivers on a key priority identified in the National Waste Action Plan agreed with all State and Territory governments late last year.

The new governance body will operate in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. After the initial establishment of the phase’s seed funding grant, the governance entity will be self-funded through industry membership fees and partnership contributions. While the new body will be partnered with the Australian Government, it will be independent and lead Australia’s food waste issues and solutions.