Food Waste Facts and Hunger Facts | OzHarvest Sustainability

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Animated video explaining food waste and its environmental impact.

Food Waste Facts

We are committed to reducing food waste, feeding people in need and protecting our finite environmental resources. We’ve compiled some facts which show the effect of food waste in Australia and on the planet.

Global Waste & Hunger Facts

There is enough food produced in the world to feed everyone.

Source: 2016 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics

One third of all food produced is lost or wasted –around 1.3 billion tonnes of food –costing the global economy close to $940 billion each year.

Source: FAO Save Food Global Food Waste and Loss Initiative

Up to 10% of global greenhouse gases comes from food that is produced, but not eaten.

Source: United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) (2021). Food Waste Index Report 2021.

Wasting food is worse than total emissions from flying (1.9%), plastic production (3.8%) and oil extraction (3.8%).

Source: WRI: World GHG Emissions 2016 & https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0459-z

If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after USA and China.

Source: FAO Food Wastage Footprint Report 2013

Food rotting in landfill releases methane – 28x stronger than carbon dioxide.

Source: IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land

Eliminating global food waste would save 4.4 million tonnes of C02 a year, the equivalent of taking one in four cars off the road.

Source: YouSustain

One in nine people do not have enough food to eat, that’s 793 million people who are undernourished.

Source: FAO The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015

If one quarter of the food currently lost or wasted could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people.

Source: FAO The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015

Almost half of all fruit and vegetables produced are wasted (that’s 3.7 trillion apples).

Source: FAO Infographic – Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Throwing away one burger wastes the same amount of water as a 90-minute shower.

Source: Water Footprint Network resources

It takes 25 years for a head of lettuce to decompose in landfill.

Source: Based on archaeological studies of landfill cores (Rathje & Murphy, 1992).

But the good news is, reducing food waste is the most effective thing individuals can do to address climate change.

Source: Project Drawdown 2017

Australian Waste & Hunger Facts

We waste 7.6 million tonnes of food each year, 70% of this is perfectly edible

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Food waste costs our economy $36.6 billion a year.

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Majority of food waste in Australia comes from our homes (2.5 million tonnes)

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Food Waste Costs households $1,500+ per year

Source: Household Food Waste Report 2025 Study

Australian households waste up to 113kg of food a year

Source: Half Eaten: Household Food Waste Report 2025

More than 25 million hectares of land is wasted to grow food that is not eaten

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

The top five most wasted food categories in Australia are vegetables, leftovers, bakery items, dairy products and meat.

Source: Half Eaten: Household Food Waste Report 2025

3.5 million households in Australia are food insecure. That's 1 in 3 households struggling to put food on the table.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2025 – Foodbank Reports

2.1 million households are experiencing the most extreme form of food insecurity, regularly skipping meals or going entire days without eating.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2025 – Foodbank Reports

Demand for food relief is higher than ever. The charities OzHarvest support reported a 75% increase in demand in the last 6 months. 67% of these charities cannot meet the current demand and reported that 30% of the people they support are seeking food relief for the first time.

Source: OzHarvest 2024 Community Needs Survey

58% of all food insecure households have someone in paid work.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2024

73% experienced food insecurity for the first time in the past year.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2024

The number one reason households in Australia struggle to put food on the table is the cost of living.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2023

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