New project to reduce on-farm food waste and unlock value

Australian fruit and vegetable growers are missing out on sales of up to one million tonnes of produce that never makes it to market, losing an estimated $2.5 billion a year. In response, a new national research program aims to help farmers keep more value from every harvest by tackling surplus and losses on-farm.

Recent data shows that Australian horticulture growers experience average food loss rates of around 20% per farm, with growers often wearing the cost after paying for inputs and labour.  Program lead End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) says food waste is one of the largest avoidable sources of productivity loss in the Australian economy, effectively erasing more than half of Australia’s agricultural GDP.

The new program will work with growers nationwide and partners across the supply chain to pinpoint where losses happen, test practical ways to lift utilisation, and find commercially viable pathways for surplus and out-of-spec produce. A key element will be a deep dive into consumer preferences and tolerances regarding product specifications, to provide insights for recommendations to help growers sell more produce without undermining customer satisfaction or shifting waste elsewhere in the supply chain.

Montague Farms are industry leaders of food waste reduction and have proven that there are viable opportunities for surplus and out-of-spec produce.

“Just because fruit has a cosmetic defect doesn’t mean it’s inedible,” said Head of Product Strategy, Quality and Innovation Rowan Little.

“We’ve reached almost 100% crop utilisation for our apples through secondary markets to cider and juices, and are now looking at the same for our plums.”

Program outputs

The trials will test what works under Australian conditions using data collected from participating farms, with farm-gate focused program outputs including:

• practical measurement and loss-reduction resources, supported by extensive research and on-farm trials;
• grower training, including case studies showing what works and what it costs;
• market feasibility studies to identify commercially viable pathways for surplus and out-of-spec produce across key commodities;
• assessment of value-add opportunities, including powders, relishes and other processed uses where viable;
• feasibility work for alternative end uses such as animal feed and soil amendments where appropriate;
• consumer research on expectations and tolerance around produce, to support strategies that increase utilisation without shifting waste elsewhere in the supply chain.

EFWA said the program would avoid “one-size-fits-all” recommendations, noting that what works can vary between commodities, regions and seasons. Findings will be published in accessible farm-ready formats, including case studies and a dedicated knowledge hub intended to make resources easy for growers to find and apply.

Get involved

If you grow, make, move or sell Australia’s amazing fresh produce you’re invited to register interest to take part in on-farm trials, workshops and advisory groups. You’ll help to shape the tools and training created, and also gain early access to practical resources as the program progresses.

Find out more and register your interest here.

Reducing on-farm food waste and unlocking its value for grower profitability and sustainability (HN24001) is funded through Hort Innovations Frontiers with co-investment from the End Food Waste Co-operative Research Centre, whose research activities are funded by the Australian Government’s Co-operative Research (CRC) Program, Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the University of Queensland.