<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australian households are throwing away $1500 worth of good food annually, with young adults under 35 the country's biggest wasters, new research shows.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Half Eaten: Australian Household Food Waste Research report, commissioned by OzHarvest and released yesterday, surveyed more than 3000 households and found that the younger generation are disposing of 113 kilograms of food every year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The figure is 70 per cent more than their parents' generation.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/food-waste-research-packaging-labels/c2b983fd-12c7-4af6-ac1e-627f1fd780fe" rel="" target="_blank" title="Confusing labels to blame for staggering food waste levels"><strong><span>Confusing labels to blame for staggering food waste levels</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leftovers and vegetables were the most common food items to head to the kitchen bin, the report says.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nearly half of all households surveyed regularly waste uneaten leftovers from home-cooked meals and takeaways.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Tomatoes, carrots, leafy greens and herbs were among the most frequently wasted veggies, despite their high prices.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/younger-australians-the-biggest-food-wasters/e9f84de1-19cb-4e84-a1a3-e6e89dc54bcc" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The research also found confusion about food labelling.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>From the high-wasting households, 58 per cent chuck out food based on best-before or use-by dates, suggesting confusion among younger people.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>OzHarvest national food waste campaign manager Monique Llewelyn says people should not be solely guided by date labels.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People don't understand the difference and default to relying on the label rather than trusting their judgement," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Best before means peak quality – the food is still safe to eat well beyond this date. Older generations are more confident as many remember buying food before date labels existed."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia generates 7.6 million tonnes of food waste annually at a cost of $36.6 billion to the economy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The environmental costs equally staggering, with 51 per cent of household food waste ending up in general waste bins destined for landfill, where it generates methane – a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite the scale of the problem, OzHarvest says simple steps, such as meal planning and using shopping lists, can reduce waste levels by 40 per cent. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>