Christmas brings feasting and a spike in food waste

AUSTRALIANS are throwing away more than $36bn worth of food every year, a problem that accelerates over Christmas.

For most, Christmas is about eating and drinking and it’s easy to not only consume too much, but buy too much.

During the festive period, food waste increases by about 30 per cent and contributes to the about 2.5 million tonnes of food that gets tossed in the bin in Australian homes a year.

Not only does food waste contribute to the global hunger crisis, it also negatively affects climate change.

Annika Scott, the sustainability strategist at OzHarvest, said the most immediate way people can take action on climate change is by reducing food waste in their homes.

“The Christmas season is a time of abundance, indulgence and celebration, but it’s also a time of huge, huge amounts of waste,” she said.

“A lot of the waste happens when there is overabundance and overindulgence.”

Australian households waste 11 per cent of the food they buy, which is about $1038 a year, a study by Rabobank found.

The average grocery bill is also up by $20 a week, meaning Aussies are spending an average of $178 on food.

For those trying to reduce their food waste, Ms Scott (pictured) said the best thing people can do is plan ahead.

“Look at what you already have in your fridge and freezer, that you can either use at the time of the festivity or start to eat what’s in your fridge and freezer now so when Christmas time comes there’s lots of space for leftover goodies,” she said.

Ms Scott recommended investing in airtight containers and have enough to ensure people can store all their leftovers safely.

OzHarvest also developed a product called Use It Up tape, designed to label containers in order of what needs to be eaten first.

“So really good at Christmas time because you can whack it on containers with the lamb or some Christmas treats and everyone knows when that needs to be eaten,” she said.

While many Australians are throwing away food, one in six suffer from food insecurity every year.

“It’s absolutely appalling,” Ms Scott said.

“We know Christmas is a really hard time for a lot of people. Loneliness and of lack of connection spikes at Christmas time.”

She also suggested finding recipes designed to use leftover Christmas food, like using surplus meat for dumplings, or chocolate to make rocky road.