In 2025, food businesses participating in the Australian Food Pact unlocked $12 million in additional revenue by transforming unsold food into higher-value uses – including new food products and commercial redistribution.
Each year, 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted in Australia, 70% of which is edible (FIAL, 2021). For food businesses, food waste costs an average of 5.6% of total sales (Capgemini, 2022). End Food Waste Australia works with food businesses to save food and money through the Australian Food Pact and world-leading research through the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.
Businesses signed up to the Australian Food Pact are leaders in food waste action and are championing innovative ways to save food and save money. The Australian Food Pact Impact Report (2021-2024) showed that food waste action helped these businesses save $57 million over three years by reducing food waste by 16,000 tonnes and saving $2 million in landfill levies. Since 2022, businesses in the Pact have also saved an estimated 505,000 tonnes of C02-e emissions.
“Reducing food waste isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good business,” said Tristan Butt, CEO, End Food Waste Australia.
“Saving food cuts costs, and the businesses leading in this space understand the opportunities offered by repurposing food or creating new products.”
The End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is leading research initiatives with food businesses interested in transforming food that would have gone to waste into marketable new products. A research project between End Food Waste CRC and SSS Strawberries has developed expanded freeze-dried and frozen berries product ranges, reducing food waste by 80% with aims to reduce to zero waste by project end.
SSS Strawberries CEO and ‘Gina’s Table’ Gina Dang says they’ve been able to transform over 250,000 kg of waste into new value-add products.
“This research has helped us create great new products for market and consumer consumption. Now instead of going to waste that produce is nourishing more Australians,” said Ms Dang.
Supporting innovative new value-added foods is a delicious way to help fight food waste.
Over 38 businesses are signed up to the Australian Food Pact, led by End Food Waste Australia, including Coles, Woolworths, ALDI, Metcash, Simplot, Mars, Goodman Fielder, McCain and Sodexo.
While the savings achieved through the Australian Food Pact show the power of the Pact model, more food businesses need to step up to reach Australia’s goal of halving food waste by 2030.
“Reducing food waste is critical to future-proofing Australia’s food system,” said Mr Butt. “We want 2026 to be the year businesses take action.
“Cutting food waste benefits business of all sizes, and the $12 million in recovered revenue shows it can directly boost productivity. Together, we can drive real change.”
