Nutrition Australia has estimated that the average Australian household could save at least $50 per week by simply purchasing in-season fresh food.
According to research conducted by the not-for-profit organisation, only 91 percent of Aussies have their five recommended servings of vegetables per day, with the current cost of living crisis only exacerbating this.
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As a means of encouraging Australians everywhere to get their fill of vegetables more regularly, Nutrition Australia has launched its ‘Try for 5‘ campaign to promote healthy eating during a time when many are facing financial hardship.
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And whilst increasing vegetable intake can be easy and fun – also providing you the opportunity to be creative in the kitchen – it comes at a critical time for many who are struggling to balance affordability alongside general health and well-being.
To address the financial barriers that are restricting grocery shoppers from purchasing (and consuming) more vegetables, the ‘Try For 5’ campaign offers simple solutions to help Aussies get the most out of fresh and frozen vegetables. Nutrition Australia partnered with Vitamix ambassador, Chef Tom Walton, to show how easily vegetable packed meals can be made.
These include making the most out of leftovers, using one vegetable in five different ways, how to meal prep effectively, and how to use up the entire vegetable and minimise your level of food waste.
On average across the country, households are spending between $2,000 – $2,500 on fruit and vegetables a year that they end up throwing out.
CEO of Fight Food Waste Ltd (a partner of the campaign) Dr Steven Lapidge described this level of wastage as “monumental.”
“We conducted the most comprehensive research into food waste behaviours and interventions in Australian homes and found three of the most impactful actions people can start taking to reduce their food waste were leaving a night a week to eat or repurpose leftovers, storing food correctly, and getting creative to use the food you already have.”
“These simple actions can help Australian households save food and save up to $2500 a year.”
“Australia’s food is too good to waste, and we want to see more of the high-quality and nutritious fruit and vegetables feeding people not going to waste.”
If you’d like to learn more about how you can bring down your grocery bill, combat food waste, and ensure you and your family are getting your five recommended servings of vegetables (and two servings of fruit) per day click here.
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