Aldi Australia has joined the voluntary Australian Food Pact, saying becoming a signatory will help the company achieve its goal to halve food waste by 2030 and increase its capacity to drive change in its stores and across the value chain.
Aldi joins 40 companies that are signatories to the voluntary pact, established and run by End Food Waste Australia (EFWA), that was launched in 2021. Since then, the 40 signatories have donated 190 million meals to food rescue agencies and saved around $60 million.
ALDI Australia director of National Sustainability, Daniel Baker, said joining the pact was an extension of its “long-standing established partnerships” with hundreds of local food rescue partners, including OzHarvest and Foodbank.
“In 2024, over 15 million meals were donated through ALDI’s food rescue efforts. By joining the Australian Food Pact, we want to make an even bigger difference,” Baker said.
“Reducing food waste and loss is a shared responsibility. Developing innovative solutions that can be implemented at scale is only possible through collaboration with the broader food industry.
“This way we can make a real difference in achieving Australia’s food waste reduction goals and contribute to a more sustainable food future.”
ALDI has implemented education and training programs focused on waste reduction for all employees in all areas of the business, including new food waste handling processes in stores and distribution centres to help ensure good quality surplus food can be donated to those in our community who need it most.
Pact signatories receive expert advice from EFWA, which also helps them develop tailored food waste action plans that focus on pre-emptive food waste prevention, donating surplus food, and food system transformation, collaboration, and innovation.
Every year, signatories establish a baseline year for food waste and report against it year-on-year. This data provides insights into the most impactful areas of food waste action and highlights which initiatives are working and where additional food waste reduction could occur.
EFWA acting director – Industry Action, Sam Oakden, said Aldi’s leadership in the retail sector would play a “pivotal role” in driving change and reducing food waste across the supply chain
“We look forward to working alongside ALDI to implement innovative, retail-driven solutions to reduce food waste and food insecurity. Together, we can unlock substantial environmental, economic, and societal benefits for both the organisation and the communities it serves,” Oakden said.
