Food Waste Facts and Hunger Facts | OzHarvest Sustainability

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Animated video explaining food waste and its environmental impact.

Food Waste Facts

We are committed to reducing food waste, feeding people in need and protecting our finite environmental resources. We’ve compiled some facts which show the effect of food waste in Australia and on the planet.

Global Waste & Hunger Facts

There is enough food produced in the world to feed everyone.

Source: 2016 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics

Over 1 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year – over a third of all food produced. This costs the global economy more than US$2.6 trillion.

Source: UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024

Food loss and waste generates 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions – almost five times the total emissions from the aviation sector.

Source: Food Waste Index Report 2024 | UNEP – UN Environment Programme

Wasting food is worse than total emissions from flying (1.9%), plastic production (3.8%) and oil extraction (3.8%).

Source: WRI: World GHG Emissions 2016 & https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0459-z

If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after USA and China.

Source: UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024

Food rotting in landfill releases methane – more than 28x stronger than CO₂ over 100 years, or 80x stronger over 20 years.

Source: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), 2021.

Eliminating global food waste would save 4.4 million tonnes of C02 a year, the equivalent of taking one in four cars off the road.

Source: YouSustain

One in nine people do not have enough food to eat, that’s 793 million people who are undernourished.

Source: FAO The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015

If one quarter of the food currently lost or wasted could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people.

Source: FAO The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015

Almost half of all fruit and vegetables produced are wasted (that’s 3.7 trillion apples).

Source: FAO Infographic – Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Throwing away one burger wastes the same amount of water as a 90-minute shower.

Source: FIAL 2021 National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

It takes 25 years for a head of lettuce to decompose in landfill.

Source: Based on archaeological studies of landfill cores (Rathje & Murphy, 1992).

Reducing food waste is the most effective thing individuals can do to address climate change.

Source: Project Drawdown, Drawdown 2020 (drawdown.org).

Australian Waste & Hunger Facts

Australia wastes 7.6 million tonnes of food every year – enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground more than 9 times.

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Food waste costs our economy $36.6 billion a year.

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Majority of food waste in Australia comes from our homes (2.5 million tonnes)

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

Food wasted at home costs Australian households over $1,500 a year – with under-35 households wasting 70% more food than older generations.

Source: OzHarvest Half Eaten Report 2025

Food Waste Costs households $1,500+ per year

Source: Household Food Waste Report 2025 Study

Australian households waste up to 113kg of food a year

Source: Half Eaten: Household Food Waste Report 2025

More than 25 million hectares of land is wasted to grow food that is not eaten

Source: FIAL (2021). National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study

The top five most wasted food categories in Australia are vegetables, leftovers, bakery items, dairy products and meat.

Source: Half Eaten: Household Food Waste Report 2025

3.5 million households in Australia are food insecure. That's 1 in 3 households struggling to put food on the table.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2025 – Foodbank Reports

2.1 million households are experiencing the most extreme form of food insecurity, regularly skipping meals or going entire days without eating.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2025 – Foodbank Reports

Demand for food relief is at a record high. One in five people are turned away from relief, due to insufficient resources. For the first time in OzHarvest’s history, our waitlist of charities (1,600) is longer than the number we can currently support (1,500).

Source: OzHarvest Frontline Report 2026

OzHarvest’s Pulse Survey found 69% of charities reported a further demand increase, up an additional 31% between March-April 2026 due to fuel and supply chain pressures.

58% of all food insecure households have someone in paid work.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2024

73% experienced food insecurity for the first time in the past year.

Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2024

Cost of living and housing costs is the drivers for people seeking food relief. 91% of food-insecure households cite the cost of living as their number one barrier.

Source: OzHarvest Frontline Report 2026, Foodbank Hunger Report 2025

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