Turning food waste into nutritional meals

Flinders University’s Centre for Social Impact (CSI) will lead a project that will help make surplus food into nutritional meals for people most in need.

Along with industry partners Foodbank SA and state government agency Green Industries SA, Professor Svetlana Bogomolova, the recipient of a new ARC Industry Mid-Career Fellowship will lead the research.

The project will help tackle food insecurity and develop a social enterprise model to meet demand for nutritious fruit and vegetable shelf-stable foods among people struggling to buy quality food.

It will use harvest surplus from the farm gate and food supply chain while creating volunteering and skill-building opportunities for food relief recipients.

Food waste costs the Australian economy $36.6 billion a year. One-third of two-parent families and 37% of single-parent families have experienced severe food insecurity in the last year.

Foodbank SA is often faced with unpredictable amounts of fresh fruit and vegetable donations, which cause distribution challenges and result in food waste.

Foodbank SA and Central Australia CEO Greg Pattinson said the organisation is excited to explore ways to transform the donated fruit and vegetables into shelf-stable nutritious products.

According to Bogomolova, the proposal will address two major problems for Australia: food insecurity and food waste.

“By working directly with growers and suppliers, we can improve the nutritional quality of food relief and provide a strong ongoing supply of plant-based shelf stable foods like soups, sauces, juices, pre-made meals and meal ingredients,” Bogomolova said.

The project aims to move beyond short-term food relief and empower people who rely on food relief by providing training and tools to open up job possibilities and social connectedness.

The ‘Valuing our Food Waste’ strategy, developed by Green Industries SA, outlines an approach to reduce and divert household and business food waste in South Australia and includes actions to increase food waste prevention.

The collaboration will see the new model shared with Foodbank and Green Industries SA’s networks, improving practice in Australia and beyond to improve nutrition for food-relief recipients, reduce harvest waste and increase opportunities for people in vulnerable situations, bringing longer-term social benefits.

Image credit: iStock.com/Prostock-Studio

Originally published here.