The report, titled The Half Eaten: Australian Household Food Waste Research, was commissioned by OzHarvest and published yesterday. It surveyed over 3000 households and uncovered that the younger demographic throws away 113 kilograms of food annually.

The figure is 70 per cent more than their parents’ generation.

OzHarvest national food waste campaign manager Monique Llewelyn says people should not be solely guided by date labels.

“People don’t understand the difference and default to relying on the label rather than trusting their judgement,” she said.

“‘Best before’ indicates peak quality, but the food remains safe to consume long after the date. Older generations are more confident about this, recalling times before date labels were common,” the report highlights.

Australia generates 7.6 million tonnes of food waste annually at a cost of $36.6 billion to the economy.

Environmentally, the waste is equally concerning, as 51 percent of household food waste ends up in general waste bins heading for landfill. There, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Nevertheless, OzHarvest points out that taking straightforward actions, like planning meals and making use of shopping lists, can cut waste by 40 percent.