In Australia, 7.6 million tonnes of food goes to landfill each year. Tragically, 70% of this food is still perfectly edible. A horrible statistic for a country like Australia where food scarcity is a growing problem. 1 in 6 adults haven’t had enough to eat in the last year, with 2 million children going hungry during the same period.

Food thrown into your garbage bin ends up in landfill. Food in landfill breaks down in a way that can create greenhouse gases, including methane, which has an effect on air quality and public health. When we waste food, we also waste the resources used to grow our food, such as water, soils and energy, as well as all the energy used to process, package and transport food from markets to our homes.

To put it simply, there is enough food on the planet to feed everyone. Fighting food waste plays a significant role in fighting hunger. Everyone has a part to play, from production right through to how we, as consumers, choose to shop.

It’s time to embrace ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables, and understand food labels. In the wise words of Sir David Attenborough “the one thing we can all do is to stop waste. Don’t waste food. Don’t waste power. They are precious, and we can’t live without them.”

There are a number of steps individuals can employ in order to reduce food waste in the home:

1. Shop savvy, plan your meals out each week and check the fridge before you shop to ensure you only buy what you need. It saves time, money and reduces food waste.
2. Start your own compost bin or worm farm to reduce the amount of food scraps sent to landfill, or simply download the app ‘Share Waste’ for free to discover people near you that will use your food scraps..
3. Don’t judge food by its appearance! Many retailers now offer products that are odd shapes and sizes, have slight cosmetic blemishes or simply do not meet arbitrary cosmetic standards. Don’t worry they all taste the same and are equally as nutritious!
4. Love your leftovers. If you don’t eat everything you make, simply freeze it for another day or use the leftovers as ingredients in another meal!
5. Use it all! The skin of fruit and veggies are not only edible but they’re also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. A cheeky hack is to chuck your excess into a nutrient packed smoothie rather than in the bin.
6. Understand the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’. The golden rule to remember is that a ‘use-by’ date is a DEADLINE but ‘best before’ is a GUIDELINE, for when to eat your food.

These are just some of the ways you can play your part to combat food waste, but remember, you don’t have to be perfect at it.

Thousands of small steps make a big difference – together we can all be part of the solution.

That’s why two of Australia’s most iconic brands, Peters Ice Cream and Montague, have come together to combat food waste by creating a wonderful new product that utilises imperfect fruit.

Rescue Pops are made from rescued Montague plums that would have otherwise gone to landfill because they’re a little bit bruised and blemished. Instead, they’ve been turned into delicious plum sorbet sticks that the whole family will love! To close the loop on food waste and hunger, Peters will donate 200,000 meals to Aussies in need through Foodbank.

Rescue Pops are available in Woolworths stores nationally.