Reducing Food Waste In Victoria

Introduction

Worldwide, 1/3 of the food produced is thrown away without eating (FAO 2011). This report discusses food waste as a factor that hinders food sustainability (scenario b) among households in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this report is to evaluate existing strategies that have addressed this issue and propose a program as a strategy to help resolve this problem. Food sustainability is the ability of a collaborative network system to integrate various components from food production to consumption, aimed at improving a community’s environmental, economic, and social well-being (Garnet 2013). One significant factor that has limited food sustainability in Australia is food wastage, especially at the consumption level (Porpino 2016). Noteworthy, people who waste food, in most cases are less aware of food safety practices, do not plan on shopping or are self-righteous.

The negative socio-economic and environmental impacts of the unsustainable food systems are impacting negatively on societies. A report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for the annual Food Sustainability Index, ranked Australia 14th, out of 34 countries in 2017 (BCFN Foundation: Food and Nutrition Sustainability Index 2018). The report cited three main reasons: nutrition, food loss and waste, and sustainable agriculture. This ranking shows that Australia’s policies on attaining food sustainability are less effective. Food waste is the loss of edible food, either from vermin attacks, climate or intentional misuse by consumers. Victoria is among the states in Australia that misuse food. A publish released by the Food and Nutrition Sustainability Index in May 2018 revealed that Victorians throw away food worth $5. 4 billion yearly. Hence, the need to address this issue, since it impacts negatively on the environment, health, and the economy. Why food wastage is a public health nutrition concern“An estimated 20-40% of fruit and vegetables are rejected before they reach shop shelves, mostly because they don’t match supermarkets and consumers high cosmetic standards. Our decisions can help make a difference” (Food Waste Campaign 2018). Food waste is not a mere loss of potential calorie intake; in fact, it goes deep in affecting public health (Secondi, Principato&Laureti 2015). The Victorian government has committed itself by being a partner in programs that help residents make healthy choices. The government of Victoria is involved in the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH) and has been addressing lifestyle diseases such as obesity at their core (health. vic 2014). First, waste food dumped haphazardly is a breeding ground for infectious diseases (Hawthorne 2017).

Discarded waste food is a seedbed for microbial pathogens. Besides, food scraps dropped anyhow result in unhygienic conditions that are loved by vermin. Secondly, when food goes bad, it releases methane gas. Food buried in the landfills release methane due to decomposition. Methane traps heat in the atmosphere; about 30 times more than carbon dioxide. If levels of methane in the atmosphere are abnormally high, oxygen deprivation and suffocation will ensue (Hawthorne 2017). Victorians living near landfills are likely to be exposed to high levels of methane. Among the effects of methane inhalation include increased breathing rate, nausea, headache, and body weakness (Hawthorne 2017). Lastly, wastage is a nutritional issue as the food wasted could be used to nourish the needy.

Therefore, a public health approach is required to address food wastage in Victoria. Food wastage is a community issue and requires the efforts of different parties such as the Victorian government, local government, and community members to curb. On this background, the public needs to be educated about food loss, how to prevent it, and how it negatively impacts health, environment, and economy. Victoria needs a coordinated, harmonious statewide strategy to food waste recovery. Through waste education, the state, local government, schools, and households will have a better understanding of their roles and how they can become engaged in food waste management. As a pertinent issue, there might be a need to introduce mini-courses to school programs. The Victorian waste education strategy of 2016, recognizes six strategic approaches to guide waste recovery. These strategies include increasing Victorian community perception of waste management as an essential service, supporting and encouraging waste prevention, improving waste resource recovery, reducing illegal dumping, supporting waste recovery education for schools and strengthening Victoria’s waste recovery education capacities (Victoria Waste Education Strategy 2016). Review of strategies and critical analysis

a. Love Food Hate Waste Campaign

Love Food Hate Waste Campaign is a campaign strategy by the government of Victoria (Love Food Hate Waste 2018). It was initiated in June 2018 to help Victorians reduce their household waste. The campaign achieves this objective by supporting eligible organizations deliver projects that can assist households to minimize food waste. According to the campaign, the four major aspects that contribute to food waste include improper planning, poor shopping habits, excess cooking, and inadequate storage. The Love Food Hate Waste campaign has two major strengths that make it an effective strategy:

i. The campaign targets critical aspects which make food go to waste including planning, shopping, cooking, and storage. By providing household education, Victorians might change their perceptions and behavior towards food splurge. Creating awareness about food waste among Victorian householders and emphasizing on its impacts can make consumers more sensitive towards food (Pearson, Minehan & Wakefield-Rann 2013). Besides, household education can trigger consumers’ interest in sustainable food practices (Farr‐Wharton, Foth & Choi 2014). Household education provided might shift Victorians’ attitudes towards food waste and their shopping. Moreover, their storage and cooking behaviors are likely to change.

ii. Love Food Hate Waste is more of a whole community project rather than individuals. The campaign provides grants to local councils and other organizations to offer household education (Love Food Hate Waste 2018). By doing this, the community learns practical preventive measures, making their strategy more effective; as households tend to support each other and create similar goals of buying the right quantity of food. Additionally, the challenges such as ‘love a list challenge’ brings community members together and this helps them to embrace food wastage reduction approaches. Social networking sites contribute significantly to creating awareness about food wastage and prompts sharing among community members (Ganglbauer et al. 2014). Social media platforms may, therefore, help reach many Victorians, especially the youth. By creating social media platforms that allowVictorians to participate in food waste reduction challenge, this strategy upholds community participation. Love Food Hate Waste has one major limitation. Not every Victorian has the access to their campaign website. Therefore, they miss out on the opportunities to learn about shopping, storage tips or even try the recipes provided. Consequently, changing the consumer’s attitude towards food wastage becomes a challenge. Self-prejudiced consumers, who are well off tend to buy extra food, this means that such shopping tips often seem of less importance (Pearson, Minehan &Wakefield-Rann 2013).

b. FoodWise Campaign

‘FoodWise’ is DoSomething’s national campaign. It started by addressing the need to reduce the environmental impact resulting from Australia’s food consumption (FoodWise 2018). This platform educates Australians on environmental footprints of food consumption patterns. Moreover, it emphasizes three ways of reducing the amount of food that ends up in landfills, that is, buy locally grown food, reduce kitchen waste, and support food charities (FoodWise 2018). This strategy is relevant to Victorian households since most of themhave a lot of food to spare, and more to send to the landfills. The key strength of this strategy is, it allows people and organizations to share their views on how to achieve sustainable food systems. Also, it creates awareness of environmental impacts resulting from improper food handling. Unlike the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which concentrates on the social causes of food wastage at the consumption level, FoodWise emphasizes both the social and environmental causes. Even more, the hidden impacts of food loss and different strategies for achieving sustainable diets. The critical limitation of this strategy is that, despite its establishment in 2009, it has not satisfactorily attained its goal, since food wastage remains unresolved in Victoria. Meaning, creating awareness via a website and social media platforms have not been effective in encouraging good behavior change.

c. The proposed strategy: Community food aid collecting centersVictoria has organizations that feed the hungry and accept food donations. However, those available such as SecondBite, prefer fresh produce. Furthermore, Food Banks may not be located remotely to wealthy Victorian households. The proposed strategy for community food collection centers entails having a good number of centers that accept foods donated by local homes. The food can be fresh, frozen, chilled, and in shelf-life. The local government can be involved in setting up an adequate number of food collection centers, depending on the population and statistics of food wasted. The Victorian government can also partner with other charity organizations to collect the food and aid in distributing to those in need.

The idea of food collection centers is preferred over the two reviewed strategies since it targets the households that miss food literacy programs. Australians, especially those with higher household incomes tend to buy food impulsively and in bulk (Pearson, Minehan, and Wakefield-Rann 2013). With places to donate by their residence, such Victorians are likely to reduce the amount of food they throw away. The effectiveness of this strategy might depend on the strength of the two approaches. That is, reaching out to Victorians through websites and social media platforms. Through the sites, households can be mobilized to donate food instead of dumping it. Social media platforms and physical campaigns may be used to communicate with many people and therefore, are useful in influencing excess food donation.

Alternatively, an introduction to the 3Rs, that is, Reduce, Recover, Recycle food waste, and might prove to be a workable solution to this food loss menace. One key strength of food collection centers strategy is that it is likely to attract many households from various communities. With centers located strategically, many Victorians will be expected to donate instead of getting rid of it. Another reason, it will help in providing food to the less fortunate in the state, and this will play a significant role in fighting hunger. One apparent limitation is, Victorian households are less likely to ‘part ways’ with very fresh food. If this is the case, by the time food reaches the hungry, it is stale.

Conclusion

The rate at which Victorians dispose of food is alarming! Approximately $5. 4 billion in food goes to the drain annually. It is distasteful to feed pathogens, so people should hold themselves accountable. Rotting food in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. To discourage Victorians from throwing food around like confetti, practical strategies that mobilize households to donate the excess food need to be put in place. Several food aid collection centers should be established throughout Victoria to encourage food donations. By supporting food aid education in schools and homes, Victorians stand a chance of substantially reducing the amount of food that goes in the landfills.