To combat the 2.5 million tonnes of food wasted in Australian households annually, food rescue organisation OzHarvest is launching a new campaign, Use it Up. Waiting for others to fix our planet’s problems is not an option says founder and CEO Ronni Kahn.
Incorporating a product innovation to help Australians waste less, Use it Up has been designed with consumer insights from the Australian first behavioural research which was conducted by BehaviourWorks at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute – funded by the Australian government.
Kahn said the company teamed up with BehaviourWorks to analyse the most effective way to reduce waste in households.
“The overwhelming answer was to Use It Up - a simple behaviour that can save food, save money and save the planet.
“To get the nation on board, we’ve developed the Use It Up tape, a world first product that makes it easy and fun to see what food needs using up in your fridge or pantry, which can then be transformed into your next meal,” he said.
Australia has set the goal of halving food waste by 2030. In early September, FIAL released the National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study and said household waste must be reduced by a minimum of 30 per cent to accomplish the goal.
Kahn said the easiest and fastest results can come from reducing household food waste.
“Not everyone can afford an electric car or solar panels but reducing the amount of food we waste is something we are all able to do. People are blown away when they learn the number one thing they can do to take climate action starts right now in their kitchen,” he said.
BehaviourWorks lead researcher Mark Boulet said studies which utilise insights from experts and tie in community engagement for reducing household food waste has not been done before.
“Use It Up has the biggest potential to shift the dial, with families immediately noticing how much food they saved. The tape is a great family communication and meal planning tool and acts as a daily prompt to change behaviour,” said Boulet.
The Use it Up tape will be accompanied by a range of tools along with recipes and tips on how to use up food that is commonly wasted which will be displayed on OzHarvest’s website and social media.
Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction Trevor Evans added that there are sustainability benefits to be gained by reducing food waste and that 70 per cent of food wasted is edible.
“The research shows the simple but effective act of using food up could save the average household enough for a holiday each year and the tape is a good visual reminder to help people get into good habits at home,” said Evans.
