The OzHarvest Use it Up Tape™ helps reduce food waste by reminding households to use up leftovers found in their fridges and pantries.
The modern-day food system has a waste problem. Each year, a third of all food produced around the world, or 1.3 billion tonnes, is thrown away. It’s like buying three bags of groceries at the supermarket then throwing one away as you leave.
Over 900 million tonnes of food are wasted globally at the consumption stage, with nearly 60% coming from homes. Household food waste is influenced by many factors, some, beyond individual control, such as food type and safety standards. However, everyday habits like overbuying, forgetting food in the fridge, and neglecting leftovers can be changed. These seemingly harmless daily-made behaviours waste food and lead to unnecessary purchases. It’s crucial to use up leftovers and stocked ingredients before buying more.
The challenge lies in the fact that much of our food-related behaviour becomes ingrained, and we often don’t give food much thought until it comes time to shop, cook or eat. Additionally, identifying items in the fridge that need to be used up can be tricky, especially when food gets lost in fridges that are crowded and disorganised.
The OzHarvest Use it Up Tape™ functions as a practical visual reminder for households. When families open their fridge or pantry, the tape prompts them to use up food that might otherwise go to waste. Householders can tear off sections to stick on food packets or containers, making it easy to identify what needs to be used up. Alternatively, larger strips of the tape can be used to designate a ‘Use it Up shelf,’ ensuring items remain visible, p, don’t get lost or pushed to the back and forgotten.
The result: The impact of the Use it Up Tape was tested with Australian households, resulting in a 40% reduction in overall food waste within their homes. This reduction was particularly evident in the amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables that went to waste before the OzHarvest Tape had been implemented.
Made available to the Australian public in October 2021, over 100,000 units of the Use it Up Tape have been delivered nationally since that time. Under a licensing agreement an equivalent version was created for The Netherlands (‘Eerst Op Tape’) and distributed to 40,000 Dutch households in collaboration with the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
Are you aware of any other nudges that help to prevent food waste? Feel free to get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com
From Dr. Mark Boulet, a Senior Research Fellow at BehaviourWorks Australia, in association with Monash University. Mark has worked in partnership with OzHarvest – Australia’s leading food rescue organisation – for over five years, providing behavioural insights and research to support their food waste reduction efforts. By 2030, OzHarvest’s mission is to halve Australia’s food waste, by diverting surplus food from landfills and delivering it to charities that feed people in need.
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