Billionaire Anthony Pratt leads push to halve world food waste

BILLIONAIRE Anthony Pratt is leading a push to halve the 9 million tonnes of food which goes to waste in Australia each year.

Billionaire Anthony Pratt during the Global Food Forum. Picture: Aaron Francis

BILLIONAIRE Anthony Pratt is leading a push halve the 9 million tonnes of food which goes to waste in Australia each year.

The paper, packaging and recycling magnate has teamed with the federal government to warn the food waste epidemic has ­become the nation’s “hidden ­crisis’’.

Australian consumers currently waste 20 per cent of food purchased — the equivalent of throwing away one in five shopping baskets of food.

Around three million tonnes is wasted from the commercial and industrial sector, costing $10.5 billion in waste disposal charges and lost product while food aid organisations are turning away more than 600,000 people seeking food relief every month.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said the government was committed reducing Australia’s food waste by 50 per cent by 2030 by developing a National Food Waste Strategy with industry and community leaders.

A roundtable on Tuesday in Melbourne would bring together government, industry, academia and the not-for-profit sector will be co-hosted by the Pratt Foundation.

“It will be an important opportunity to map a way forward ahead of a National Food Waste summit to be held in November,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“The cost of food waste to the overall economy is estimated to be $20 billion each year which is one of the reasons why the Federal Government is committed to addressing this problem.”

Mr Pratt told a food forum last month that waste was not only costly to business and households, but two million children go hungry every year.