End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Wendy Hughes as CEO after three months in the role of Acting CEO.

Chair of the Board Geoff Starr says Ms Hughes has shown the leadership and collaborative approach needed to guide the organisation in its next phase.

“Wendy has quickly built strong relationships across our industry, government and CRC partners, helping ensure research is translated into outcomes that benefit businesses, communities and the environment,” he says.

“Her experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and policy makes her well placed to lead the organisation as we step up action on food waste across Australia.”

Ms Hughes joined EFWA in April 2025 as Director of Policy, Communications and Strategic Engagement and has since helped strengthen the organisation’s collaboration across the food system.

She has more than 20 years’ leadership experience across government, agribusiness, higher education and the not-for-profit sector. Before joining EFWA, Ms Hughes was CEO of COUCH and held senior advocacy and leadership roles in regional Queensland.

Ms Hughes says reducing food waste is critical to building a more productive, resilient and sustainable food system.

“We can’t talk about the future of food in Australia without talking about food waste,” she says.

“When food is discarded, we lose the value, effort and resources invested in producing it. Food waste costs Australia around 1.4% of GDP and remains a major inefficiency in our food system.

“Reducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities we have to improve food security, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts. I’m proud to lead EFWA as we work with industry, government and our CRC partners to turn knowledge into action and scale solutions that deliver real impact.”