What is Food Waste?

Food waste is classified as an organic waste that is formed during the harvest of the consumable items and also occurs during the post-consumption phase of these foods (Daniel, 1945). This problem has several dimensions to it, right from the size and the nature of the food being wasted, the environmental repercussions it attributes to the surroundings, for instance, the greenhouse gas emissions like Methane and Carbon di Oxide, the increasing landfill problem and so on. It is estimated that about $8 Billion worth edible food is being wasted in Australia every year (lunchalot.com, n.d). Reducing the unnecessary food consumption and the expenses associated with it, is a necessary requirement if the future global parameters need to be met. The Australian Department of Environment which is responsible for implementing policies, regulations and legislations to protect, conserve and cherish the Australian environment and their old heritage, is highly charged about this issue, in particular (Dee, 2013). Hence, through this paper, we are going to take a detailed look at the crisis situation in hand and the factors that influence this problem.

Situational Analysis

This paper intends to serve as an explanation of one of the major and burning problems in the world, namely, Food Waste, especially its intensity in Australia, which incidentally is our major concern here. Thus, it becomes imminent for us to consider the same premises and utilize valid methods to assess the same. Before moving on to investigate this hypothesis, let us consider a few background facts. Globally, it has been estimated by the UN that the need for food will increase manifold, say about 30 to 40% in the forthcoming years. About 3 Million tons of food is wasted globally at the commercial spaces like restaurants, café and at different workplaces, etc. Also, about thousands of tons of food are wasted in the primitive stages at farm places. If we look at the situation closely, we can see that about 4.9 Million tons of food in Australia is wasted per year (Busicchia, 2012). Accounting the total population of Australia, this result in, say, around 630 kg per household. According to the FAO report, the carbon footprint that is produced from these wasted foods equals nearly 3.3 Giga tons of CO2 equivalent. This means the amount of carbon that is emitted by these foods is equal to the amount of the carbon that countries like China and US emit in a year (Parfitt et al., 2010). The total carbon emissions that these food wastes contribute nearly 23% to the total carbon content of Australia and becomes the second largest emitter of Greenhouse gases, the first one being the powerhouse stations (Kahn, 2014). With such a situation in hand, it becomes important for us to analyze the food wastage that happens in an average household of Australia.

Methodology considered

A review of the literature on household food waste including peer-reviewed journals and other documents were taken for consideration for this study. All these relevant literatures were scrutinized thoroughly in order to find a suitable answer for the following questions: to what extent the food is wasted in Australia, why does the food waste occur in households? Which target group is more susceptible to this food waste?

The influencing factors of this problem

The major factor is the combination of a consumer behavioral pattern and the lack of communication that occurs in the supply chain which aids the food wastage problem in the affluent societies (Claudio, 2012). This food wastage predominantly occurs at the consumer level. This wastage can be attributed to the fact that most of these wastages are centered on the perishable food items such as fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat based products and other uneaten products that were cooked in the kitchen.

If we consider the two graphs provided above, we can realize how much of a food waste is occurring in a household of Australia. For a problem like this, the causative parameters can be the total annual income of family, total expenditures that relate to food, number of family members present and so on. It is also noted that this food wastage is directly proportional to the total income of a family (i.e.) both the factors of total income along with the number of family members contributes to this food wastage (Corvellec and Hultman, 2013). As the income is high, more amount of money is spent towards buying food products, wherein half of it remains untouched and is eventually sent to the bin. The consumer groups which waste the food more are

Single person households
Families with children and especially with young children
The family having more number of teenagers, from the age of 14 to 18 and young adults, from 18 to 25
Family whose income is extremely high

The above listed groups have varied reasons to waste food. Moreover, the domestic food wastage is closely linked to the habitual behavior relating to the domestic environment where a person lives in. However, the arguments which get listed repeatedly are interpreted in the form of a pie-chart as follows (Based on Sustainability report of 2011)

With this information in mind, we can see that low efficiency and a low key management become the important factor in inducing a higher amount of food wastage. In 2011, the Australia Institute conducted a survey of food waste in all the Australian households, wherein it was found that that the annual food wastage per person amounts to AU $400 in NSW (Household food waste, 2013) and AU $800 in Victoria (Davies, 2013).

Literature analysis for the study undertaken

The following literature analysis identified only three publications, which are reports that provide relevant information with respect to the present context of Australia. This will help us to synthesize information about the question which was provided in the situational analysis provided above.

A study conducted in 1603 supermarkets and grocery store departments with the food wastage as its aim. The result of the study exhibited that there exists a direct relationship between food waste and the number of family members and the income of the members associated with it. The authors, through the paper establish the claim that the Food waste is inversely proportional to the number of members present and is directly proportional to the total annual income of the members. The paper thereby suggests that a better strategic planning should be done by both the consumers and the government in such a way that an improved and better public understanding should be created in order to reduce the household food waste (Baker et al., 2009).
Based on the different sets of varied data that was taken across different areas in Australia intended to determine the food wastage that takes place both nationally and regionally, it was seen that the food wastage data is fragmented, scarce and doesn’t seem to provide a complete scenario of the current situation that takes place in the country (Fela, 2012). However, Fela (2012) suggests that the rough estimate that was evaluated using these reports suggested that the consumer food waste is an enormous issue and it increases the burden of the Greenhouse gas issue, which Australia currently faces. It also turns out to be the second polluting agent of the Australian environment, the first one being the power stations. This waste contributes around 23% of the polluting agents by releasing harmful gases like Methane and so on. Hence, the foods waste management practices need to be formed and immediately started. Also, it was found that the younger generation of Australia plays an important role in this issue comparatively than the older generation, whereas a complete role reversal takes place in the UK as they wontedly waste the food by buying them in excessive quantities and discarding them later, either wholly or partially, by nibbling bits and pieces of them (Secondi et al., 2015).
Finally, a sustainability survey carried out in some 1200 households in Victoria, Australia was aimed in understanding the extent of the people’s awareness towards this issue. This study proved that all the above stated parameters play a vital role in the food waste by the customers. Also, the amount of money that is spent on this wasting process was found to be AU $5 Billion per year, which contributes to around AU $250 per person, that is around 5% of their total expenses. Lack of awareness, possessing significant money for spending and dumping the grocery bags with unnecessary things, were found as the main reasons behind this problem (Mason et al, 2011).

Let us now look in detail why this food wastage occur in the households based on the synthesis of these reports.

Low-key awareness

The consumers are either unaware or unconcerned about the food waste. From the food waste avoidance benchmark survey, it was found that despite a huge amount of household food being wasted, the level of concern over the wasted food was evidently low. It was even lower than the concern about the wasted electricity and other resources. The literature analysis also indicates that how much food waste is generated at home. To curb this issue of food waste, Germans are now selling excess food to the non-governmental organizations, charitable societies and earn money out of it.

Intentionally wasting food

The next large factor that plays a role here are the persons who deliberately waste food on the pretext that they can afford to waste food. These persons are also the large-size contributors of food waste. This is an important driver of consumer-generated food wastes in wealthy countries like Australia. These analysis thereby show the evidences that higher the household income is, higher is the food waste. These higher household groups contribute around 60% of the total consumer based food waste in Australia. This can also be attributed to the fact a high sensitivity towards food safety is recorded in Australia, wherein a leftover food of one day is considered both unhealthy and unsafe for consumption.

High-Quality Standards

Individuals who have high-quality standards while selecting food products are also an indirect contributor to this problem, apart from these factors mentioned above. The young adults, especially, who are more concerned about the packaging and the quality of the food product received, rejects half of the food stating that these foods don’t possess the perfect quality for consumption. So, even perfectly edible foods that are fit for consumption are misread and thrown away before their actual shelf life expires.

Insufficient planning of purchases

The third report suggests that insufficient planning also contributes a worthwhile percentage to the problem. The shopping behavior is highly critical in wealthy countries like Australia where large amounts of food are bought without any kind of planning about its usage or how is it going to be consumed. In developing countries, consumers tend to buy products in smaller quantities and use them completely before buying the next one, thereby making the food wastage minimal.

The methodology we have considered with respect to the issue provided above, made us to realize efficiently that the issue of food wastage is a burning issue and needs to be tackled immediately. Hence, in an overall aspect these literature reviews go in tandem with our views provided above. However, since each and every region is unique with different demographical, cultural and economic conditions, an in depth research must be conducted before arriving at any definite result. Due to these types of wastages happening all around the world, at different places, chronic undernourishment takes place. The recent United Nations’ FAO report stated that one third of the food produced all over the world for consumption is totally wasted. This contributes to about 140kg of food per person being wasted and dumped, thereby increasing the landfill (Barnard, 2016). What we have discussed in this paper, is just an insight into the current problem and the methodologies that can be attributed for forming a solution of the problem. But, the actual issue can only be reduced if we implement all the necessary ideas at the right time, in the right manner.

References list

Barnard , V. A (2016) Conclusion: Salvaging Sustainability. In Freegans: Diving into the Wealth of Food Waste in America (pp. 215–230). University of Minnesota Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctt1b7x573.11

Baker, D., Fear, J., & Deniss, R. (2009). What a waste An analysis of household expenditure on food. The Australia Institute, 1-25. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.tai.org.au/sites/defualt/files/PB 6 What a waste final_7.pdf

Busicchia, B. (2012, February 14). The average Australian wastes 200kg of food a year – yet two million of us also go hungry. Why? Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://theconversation.com/the-average-australian-wastes-200kg-of-food-a-year-yet-two-million-of-us-also-go-hungry-why-5278

Claudio, L.. (2012). OUR FOOD: PACKAGING & PUBLIC HEALTH. Environmental Health Perspectives,120(6), A232–A237. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41549064

Constance E. H. Daniel. (1945). Food-Waste Control. The Journal of Higher Education, 16(1), 24–28. http://doi.org/10.2307/1976733

Corvellec, H., & Hultman, J.. (2013). Waste management companies: critical urban infrastructural services that design the sociomateriality of waste. In M. J. Z. Campos & C. M. Hall (Eds.), Organising waste in the city: International perspectives on narratives and practices (pp. 139–156). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qgpsv.14

Davies, A.. (2013). When clean and green meets the Emerald Isle: contrasting waste governance narratives in Ireland and New Zealand. In M. J. Z. Campos & C. M. Hall (Eds.), Organising waste in the city: International perspectives on narratives and practices (pp. 63–82). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qgpsv.10

Dee, J. (2013, October 08). Do Australians waste $8 billion worth of edible food each year? Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-08/food-waste-value-australia/4993930

Dee, J. (2013, June 5). Food waste in Australia: We throw away good food | Crikey. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/06/05/waste-from-paddock-to-plate-the-just-desserts-of-recycling-good-food/?wpmp_switcher=mobile

Fela, J.. (2012). Waste not, want not. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10(2), 61–61. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41479993

Fela, J.. (2013). Germans curb waste through online food-sharing. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 11(3), 117–117. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23470538

Hamilton, C., Deniss, R., & Baker, D. (2005). Wasteful Consumption in Australia. The Australian Institute, 1(1), 77th ser., 1-46. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP77.pdf

Household Food Waste. (2013, June 30). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.foodwise.com.au/foodwaste/household-food-waste-landing-page/

Kahn, R. (2014). Australia takes part in global UN initiative to cut food waste. Ecos. doi:10.1071/ec14143

Mason, L., Boyle, T., Fyfe, J., Smith, T., & Cordell, D. (2011). National Food Waste Assessment. Institute of Sustainable Futures, 1-25. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/128a21f0-5f82-4a7d-b49c-ed0d2f6630c7/files/food-waste.pdf

Parfitt, J., Barthel, M., & Macnaughton, S.. (2010). Food waste within food supply chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 365(1554), 3065–3081. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20752997

Secondi, L., Principato, L., & Laureti, T. (2015). Household food waste behaviour in EU-27 countries: A multilevel analysis. Food Policy, 56, 25-40. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.07.007

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Posted on May 17, 2016Author TutorCategories Question, Questions