New toolkit launched to help Australian food businesses reduce waste

A new online resource, the Food Waste PRO toolkit, has been developed to assist small and medium-sized food businesses in Western Australia with measuring and managing food waste. Created through a collaboration between Curtin University, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, the tool helps businesses assess technical, regulatory, and economic solutions for upcycling or reducing waste.

In Australia, food waste costs the economy more than $36 billion annually, with approximately 7.6 million tonnes wasted each year. The hospitality sector alone accounts for an estimated 1.2 million tonnes of this waste, costing the food service sector roughly $6.4 billion. For individual businesses, the average annual cost of food waste is approximately $66,000.

Practical applications of waste reduction have been demonstrated by businesses such as Flat Rock Brew, which reduced its waste collection frequency and saved approximately $5,000 annually by repurposing spent grain for gardening and animal feed. The initiative aligns with the Australian federal government’s target to halve food waste by 2030.