CANBERRA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian businesses have reduced their food waste by 13 percent since 2022, a report has found.

According to the report, which was published on Tuesday by the government-funded organization End Food Waste Australia, the country's largest supermarkets, caterers and food manufacturers produced 100,000 combined tons of food waste in 2024.

It marks a reduction of 13.7 percent from 116,000 tons in 2022.

At the same time, the amount of food not sold that was repurposed increased from 309,000 tons in 2022 to 315,000 tons in 2024. The report said that 76 percent of food that was not sold in 2024 was repurposed -- up from 73 percent in 2022.

The report covered the signatories to the Australian Food Pact -- a 2021 initiative from End Food Waste Australia aiming to cut the country's food waste by half by 2030.

It said that the signatories have donated 254 million meals to food rescue organizations over the last three years.

By reducing food waste, the signatories have saved 57 million Australian dollars (36.2 million U.S. dollars) and 505,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 2022.

"This report shows what a unified approach has achieved over the last three years, and highlights what needs to change in the years ahead," the report said.

"While the data shows the Australian Food Pact has laid a solid foundation for progress, more needs to be done. With thousands of food businesses across Australia, every single one can help end the food waste crisis."

It said that introducing a food donation tax incentive would encourage businesses to redirect food surplus to those in need.

A report published by NGO Foodbank Australia in October 2024 found that 3.4 million Australian households were either skipping meals or eating less because they could not afford enough food. Enditem

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