Waste

Reducing food waste, at both the production and consumer level, will be integral to feeding a growing population and offsetting the anticipated higher raw material and food prices.

Waste generated from the food and grocery sector is skewed towards the consumer end of the supply chain.  In this way, packaging can play an important role in minimising food wastage.

In 2009-10 the total waste recycled by AFGC members who responded to the annual survey (30% of members) totalled approximately 135,000 tonnes. 

Love Food Hate Waste

The AFGC view is that the level of food waste in Australia is a serious concern. While food waste may be an individual and household phenomenon, the collective impact of these decisions means that it is a substantial policy challenge. Australian households are throwing out more than $5 billion worth of food each year. In addition to the direct financial costs of this waste, the environmental impact associated with excessive greenhouse gas emissions and water use is substantial¹.  

Food waste is a significant, but poorly understood, issue in Australia. Waste food thrown out by Australian households has significant financial and environmental consequences. The disposal of millions of tonnes of food waste imposes considerable costs on the community through waste collection, waste disposal and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with rotting food. In addition to the direct financial cost to households of purchasing food that is not consumed, food waste exacerbates the negative environmental effects associated with food production and processing. Put simply, if less food were wasted, less land, water and energy would be needed across the entire value chain.

AFGC is an inaugural sponsor of the Love Food Hate Waste program which is managed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW (DECCW) who have partnered with corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations committed to reducing food waste in NSW. The aims of the program are to raise awareness about the impact of food waste and reduce how much ‘good’ food we waste.

¹_{What a waste - An analysis of household expenditure on food November 2009 Australia Institute.}

Use by and best before dates, from FSANZ

There are two types of date marking. Foods that must be eaten before a certain time for food safety reasons are date marked with a 'use by' date and these foods should not be eaten after this date, for example infant nutrition formula or chilled smoked fish.

Other foods will be date marked with a 'best before' date, for example a muesli bar. You can still eat the foods for a short time after the best before date as they should be safe but they may have lost some nutrition and quality. The majority of foods will be date marked with a 'best before' date.

Foods that have a 'best before' date can continue to be sold after that date provided the food is fit for human consumption. Foods that have a 'use by' date are prohibited by law from being sold after this date because the food may pose a safety risk. The manufacturer of the food is responsible for placing a 'best before' or 'use by' date as applicable, on the food.

The only food that can have a different date mark on it is bread, which can be labelled with a 'baked on' or 'baked for' date if its shelf life is less than seven days.  Foods that have a shelf life of two years or longer, for example canned food, do not need to be labelled with a 'best before' date. This is because it is difficult to give the consumer an accurate guide as to how long these foods will keep, as they will retain their quality for many years and are likely to be consumed well before they spoil.

Video explaining best before and use by dates from FSANZ. Click here

Australian Packaging Covenant

AFGC has been a signatory and strong supporter of the National Packaging Covenant since 1999 and now the Australian Packaging Covenant. The Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) commenced on 1 July 2010, replacing the Natioanl Packaging Covenant. The food, beverage and grocery sector makes up approximately 50 per cent of industry signatories.

The focus of the Covenant is on improving sustainability through design of packaging. Signatories submit an APC action plan detailing how they are plan to review all of their packaging against the new Sustainable Packaging Guidelines (SPG). An annual report against their APC action plan is submitted by the end of March. Adoption of the SPGs is the key requirement for all signatories to the Australian Packaging Covenant.

To find out more about the APC, vist www.packagingcovenant.org.au

AFGC as a signatory of the APC also prepares an Action Plan. Click below to view the Action Plan

Our members are constantly looking for ways to reduce their packaging's impact on the environment. To view a case study on Kellogg's Reduction in Waste to Landfill intiative, read our 'Towards Sustainability' Report.