The Country Women’ s Association( CWA) of NSW is tackling the issue of food sustainability in this year’ s annual Awareness Week campaign. The initiative comes as alarming figures reveal that many families across the state are struggling to put food on the table, while Australians collectively waste millions of tonnes of food each year.

Running from 7 to 13 September, the

Awareness Week will focus on:

• Promoting the benefits of seasonal eating, highlighting the health, economic, and environmental advantages for consumers and local producers.

• Offering strategies to stretch household grocery budgets and ease cost-of-living pressures by choosing foods that are in season.

• Drawing attention to the vast amount of food wasted in Australian households each year and sharing practical ways to reduce this waste through greater awareness and education.

• Advocating for the introduction of a national Food Donation Tax Incentive.

Caroline Craig, President of the Toongabbie Branch of the CWA of NSW, said it was vital for communities

to understand the impact of food sustainability.

“ It’ s important that people in NSW have a greater understanding of food sustainability issues and the positive changes they can make in their own households and wider communities,” she said.

The proposed Food Donation Tax Incentive would encourage businesses to donate surplus food and related logistics services, supporting both food relief efforts and waste reduction across the country.

“ The tax incentive we’ re advocating for makes great sense when you consider the scale of food waste in Australia, and the number of people who go hungry each night. If we can encourage donations of leftover food, we can ensure more people are fed,” Caroline explained.

According to Foodbank, more than 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted in Australia every year – enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground nine times. This waste costs the nation an estimated $ 36.6 billion, despite 70 % of it being perfectly edible.

At the same time, more than 640,000 households in NSW have experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months. The problem is particularly

pronounced in regional areas, where 36 % of households are affected, compared to 28 % in metropolitan centres.

Caroline added,“ We would love to see real change. This Awareness Week, we’ re focusing on these issues and showing communities how they can make a big difference – not only in their own homes,

but across their communities, and for Australians everywhere.”

For more information or to get involved: Email: secretary. toongabbie. cwa @ gmail. com.

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