The Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has partnered with Woolworths and Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) to bring UK’s Mark Barthel to Australia.
An expert in international sustainable food systems, Mr Barthel’s primary aim will be to develop a solution to the $20 billion food waste problem in Australia.
“It’s an exciting time to be working with Woolworths, CRC and FIAL to develop a food waste reduction roadmap,” Mr Barthel said.
FIAL Managing Director Mirjana Prica added: “We are thrilled to have Mark join the FIAL team to work on the implementation of the National Food Waste Strategy.”
“We look forward to working closely with him so we can continue to improve on our food waste reduction journey,” added Woolworths Head of Sustainability Adrian Cullen.
Food Waste in Australia
According to a report by Australian National Food Waste Baseline, Australians waste 7.3 million tonnes of food annually.
Reportedly, nearly half of food waste ends up in landfill.
“This is a solvable global challenge, on that all of us at the Fight Food Waste CRC, Woolworths and FIAL are committed to tackling,” Fight Food Waste CRC CEO Steven Lapidge said.
Wealth of experience
Mr Barthel reportedly brings a wealth of experience to the food waste fight, having worked with a number of big-name brands such as Walmart and Amazon and international organisations: WARP, UN, FAO and the World Economic Forum, on the issue.
“[Mr Barthel’s] experience in setting up the UK’s Cortauld Agreement and understanding of sustainable food systems will provide invaluable insights that will help shape Australia’s efforts to reduce food waste,” said FIAL’s Dr Prica.