What a wasteful world we currently live in. I came across some figures on food wastage in Australia the other day, and although I know that we throw a lot out, the numbers I came across were staggering, disappointing and frustrating. In broad terms
- 312Kgs of food are thrown away each year per person
- We consume about 550kgs per person per year – 1.5kgs per day
- This equates to the equivalent of almost 57% of the food we consume being thrown away – 208 days’ worth of food a year gone, discarded.
- According to Food Waste Australia, using industry average profit margins, food retailers make about $1.2 billion profit on waste – remembering that we pay for the waste, they don’t just grow it, package it, distribute it and then throw it way, they cover these costs in the prices we pay for the food sold. No wonder nothing changes.
When we look at the poverty and health problems in Australia, (over 750,000 children live in poverty in Australia) this waste is a powerful reminder of just how complacent and neglectful many of the policy makers and trend setters are and just how much influence businesses have on them.
I am not writing this in anyway as a political piece, but more as encouragement and support to all those gardeners that work hard at growing and harvesting food for themselves, their families and friends. It can be hard work, is always a challenge and often not recognised, but it is well worthwhile when you think of the benefits to us all, the environment and health of our world and the people and other creatures (big or small) that live in it.
Congratulations to us all, I am very pleased to be a part of the valuable and growing gardening community. We fight quietly and at home, but what a great impact we make.
Keep it up and enjoy!
Peter