End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Wendy Hughes as CEO, after she stepped into the role of acting CEO in March.
EFWA chair, Geoff Starr, said Hughes had shown the leadership and collaborative approach needed to guide the organisation in its next phase.
“Wendy has quickly built strong relationships across our industry, government and CRC partners, helping ensure research is translated into outcomes that benefit businesses, communities and the environment,” said Starr.
“Her experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and policy makes her well placed to lead the organisation as we step up action on food waste across Australia.”
Hughes joined EFWA in July 2025 as director policy, communications and strategic engagement and has helped the organisation strengthen its work with partners across the food system. She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across government, agribusiness, higher education and the not-for-profit sector.
“We can’t talk about the future of food in Australia without talking about food waste,” said Hughes.
“When food is discarded, we lose the value, effort and resources invested in producing it. Food waste costs Australia around 1.4 per cent of GDP and remains a major inefficiency in our food system.
“Reducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities we have to improve food security, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts. I’m proud to lead EFWA as we work with industry, government and our CRC partners to turn knowledge into action and scale solutions that deliver real impact,” she said.
As CEO, Hughes will lead EFWA’s efforts to reduce food waste nationally through collaboration across the food system.
