Green Shoots of Change: educating young people about the value of food and reducing food loss

Australia aims to halve food waste by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. Actions to be taken to reduce food waste are outlined in the National Food Waste Strategy, Roadmap and the National Waste Policy Action Plan.

One of the actions included is support for education campaigns: Increasing public awareness about the scale of the food waste problem and its negative impacts is an important part of reducing food waste, particularly in households.

Australian households are responsible for the bulk of food waste (2.46 million tonnes). When it comes to who wastes the most food in Australia among households, it’s young consumers (18-24), families with children and households with incomes over $100,000.

What we learn as children will become part of our adult life and shape our eating habits. It is therefore crucial that we begin to put more emphasis on food education for our children from a very young age. Because the decisions we make today will determine the future of our children’s health.

Reclaim Foods is committed to partnering with schools to deliver programs aimed at educating young people about the value of food and reducing food loss. The goal is to make students, teachers, staff and their families aware of the issue of food loss and waste and introduce good practices aimed at reducing food waste, with an expected long-term impact.