Australia. Fertile land and an abundance of agricultural products. So, what does this mean when it comes to food waste?

Regional businesses sustain the economy throughout Australia, particularly in the agricultural and food sectors. Despite their importance, these businesses often struggle with implementing sustainable practices, such as decreasing food waste, due to limited resources, lack of knowledge, and capacity constraints. This episode is all about the regions, as Linda Bonney joins Dr Joanne Freeman from Honey & Fox and Julie Bates from Regional Development Australia Murraylands Riverland (RDAMR). Both Jo and Julie are research participants for End Food Waste Australia, and for several months, they held detailed discussions and interacted with food businesses in the Murraylands and Riverland regional areas of South Australia. These companies, which varied from small-scale food manufacturers to family-run businesses, consistently expressed their eagerness to tackle food waste. However, many were uncertain about how to get started. In this episode, you can hear all about:

• An overview of the 'Cultivating the Capacity of Food Businesses to Reduce and Transform Food Waste - Phase 1' project and how it came about.

• How the research was collected and the most surprising findings regarding the training of regional food businesses.

• Future visions and long-term plans for the Food Waste Transformers Program.

• The next steps for this initiative and the plan to roll out the program nationally, with support from potential funders.

• Stories about how food waste strategies are being used both in the home and in the field.

Tackling the specific obstacles that small regional businesses encounter is fundamental to future food waste management and providing them with a tangible solution towards a more eco-friendly and robust future will only be of benefit for economies throughout Australia.

To find out about Murraylands & Riverland, you can visit their website at https://rdamr.com.au/ and to find out more about Cultivating the Capacity of Food Businesses to Reduce and Transform Food Waste – Phase One, please visit https://endfoodwaste.com.au/projects/cultivating-the-capacity-of-food-businesses-to-reduce-and-transform-food-waste-phase-one/

This podcast is brought to you by Honey & Fox, whose passion is food and the people who produce it. Honey & Fox works with fishers, farmers and small food businesses to help them find and sell to their perfect customers – people who will buy without questioning the price. Find out more at https://www.honeyandfox.com.au.

This podcast is supported by End Food Waste Australia, which is leading impactful and research-informed food waste actions. To learn more about how they are working toward a more sustainable future, please visit https://⁠www.endfoodwaste.com.au⁠.