With the cost of living crunch continuing to bite, Australia's appetite to reduce food waste is firmly on the table. A proposal to incentivise farmers and supermarkets to donate surplus food instead of dumping it is expected to be debated in the Senate this week.
Up to 30% of what's produced on Australian farms ends up wasted, but one mushroom farmer in Melbourne is already trying to make every stem count. "We've been working very closely with my buyer to limit any wastage … so we then adjust our supply volumes," Georgia Beattie from Bulla Park told AAP.
"I've either got too many mushrooms or not enough." Atop a mushroom mound, this waste warrior knows more can be done, and described the plans to incentivise farmers to donate surplus food as a "game-changer." She also plans to build a zero-waste studio at her farm at Buller's Rest in Melbourne to give her mushrooms and other produce a second life.
The drying facility aims to maintain the nutritional profile of the fruit or vegetable while also increasing its shelf life. "The problem I have is perishability so rather than having to find a home for the mushrooms in three or four days — otherwise they go to waste — I've then got this option to dry them," she said. Bulla Mushrooms is positioned close to the distribution centre where farmers drop their goods. And the plan is for the multi-million dollar zero waste facility, helped in part by a grant from its customer Coles, to eventually open to all nearby farmers.
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