Young Victorians throw away over $100 worth of food a week

New research commissioned by Sustainability Victoria has found young Victorians and parents with children are key contributors to the state’s food waste dilemma, which equates to approximately $5.4 billion annually.

Despite more than three-quarters of respondents (78%) showing a strong desire to save money on groceries, the average Victorian household throws away over $2000 worth of food every year. Generation Z are particularly flippant with their grocery shopping, throwing out a reported $115 of food waste weekly, compared to Baby Boomers who reported just over a tenth of that at $17 per week.

The new findings also showed:

• Almost half (46%) of the Victorian population are not aware how much money they are throwing in the bin in the form of food waste.
• Nine in 10 Victorians feel guilty about how much food they waste.
• Males report wasting close to double their female counterparts, throwing away $54 in food waste per week compared to $29.
• Parents with children 16 years and under are also highly likely to throw out food, with more than one-third (42%) believing it is their children who are responsible for the waste.
   

The findings form part of the ‘Love Food Hate Waste, Love a List’ campaign, which encourages Victorians to write better shopping lists and stick to them to reap the rewards — not only reducing their food waste, but saving them money on their weekly grocery shop. The Victorian Government has meanwhile announced an additional $1 million funding for the Love Food Hate Waste campaign to help households reduce their food waste through to 2021.

As part of the campaign, a short documentary has been released following the journey of three Victorian families as they take on a four-week challenge to cut down their food waste and their grocery bill. Hosted by comedian Cal Wilson (pictured) and filmed in Lysterfield and surrounds as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the humble shopping list, the documentary shows how through better planning and sticking to a shopping list families can save thousands of dollars a year.

When asked about her experience hosting the documentary, Wilson said talking about food waste with the families was eye-opening.

“I was genuinely shocked at how much food we all throw out,” she said. “There’s so much we can do to reduce food waste that doesn’t include overeating, or giving leftovers as presents. A really great first step is making a shopping list and sticking to it.”

According to Sustainability Victoria, smarter shopping can be achieved through three simple steps: planning the week’s meals, writing a list and eating what has been bought. Yet the new findings highlight that Victoria’s shopping list habits have room to improve, with only 43% of Victorians reporting they always shop with a list and 46% of people admitting they buy food they don’t need.

“We know from previous research that households that use a shopping list reduce their food waste compared to those who don’t,” said Sustainability Victoria CEO Stan Krpan. “Through the Love Food Hate Waste, Love a List campaign, we’re giving Victorians the tools they need to reduce their food waste.”

The Love Food Hate Waste documentary encourages all Victorians to pledge to the four-week Love a List Challenge and see the benefits for themselves. All households that sign up to the challenge will receive a free Love a List pack including a handy meal-planner and shopping list, as well as going into the draw to win a grocery voucher to the value of $800.