Turning food waste into wow!

Did you know… that 25% of all the food we produce in Australia goes to waste? Along the food chain, this waste and associated losses cost $36.6 billion per year. This is an enormous cost—and opportunity—for us all according to the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.   

The target to reduce food waste, increase industry profitability, and improve food rescue is a noble one, however what needs to be done in practice and how to do it requires a localised, often regional solution. 

Two such organisations making a difference in their respective regions are the FNQ Food Incubator based in Cairns and the SQNNSW Innovation Hub satellite in Stanthorpe. Both are working with a range of agribusinesses to use fresh food surpluses and food waste to create innovative products and thriving enterprises. 

While having a look through the FNQ Food Incubator’s commercial kitchen last week, CEO Lara Wilde said the social enterprise was designed for small-scale or start-up food operators who had either a glut of a particular kind of produce, or a passion to bring a particular recipe to life. Here is a space where producers receive mentoring, access the incubator’s kitchen and specialised equipment, and connect with networks to help grow their business.   

For us, it was in equal parts an opportunity to gain inspiration as well as practical knowledge. For instance, Candy MacLaughlin showcased her family’s Skybury Farms, west of Mareeba, where we experienced the journey of papaya from tissue culture to field, washing and packing through to transformation into a diversity of condiments, skincare, and even alcohol.  

In terms of thinking differently about food, a visit to Rainforest Bounty at Malanda with First Nations Foods showed how regeneratively farmed bushfood ingredients like Ooray Plum, Boonjie Tamarind, and Lemon Aspen can take their place at the forefront of what we may think of as Australian cuisine.   

Mick and Mary James in the FNQ Food Incubator kitchen were just as eager to share their practical experience and knowledge, working with owners to make jam whilst also listening to specialist food scientists on food safety.  

So, instead of making a big initial investment in equipment and expertise, access to spaces and facilities like the FNQ Food Incubator or SQNNSW Innovation Hub are invaluable resources for growers to take small achievable steps toward sustainable value add food businesses.