No One Should Go Hungry in a Land of Plenty

By Erica Wong

3.4 Million Australians Go Hungry – While We Waste Enough Food to Feed the Nation 3 Times Over

Did you know that 3.4 million Australian households have gone without food due to the rising cost of living? You may have felt it yourself—grocery bills climbing higher while your bank balance falls lower.

At the same time, Australia grows enough food to feed our population three times over. Yet, every year we waste 7.6 million tonnes of food. That waste doesn’t just mean lost meals—it also drains our precious resources:

• 2,600 gigalitres of water (enough to fill 5 Sydney Harbours)

• 25 million hectares of land (bigger than the state of Victoria)

At Our Big Kitchen, we believe no one should go hungry while good food goes to waste. That’s why we work with partners like SecondBite, Fruitologist, and Food Bank to rescue edible but “imperfect” produce and turn it into nourishing meals. Thanks to these donations and the incredible efforts of our volunteers, we’ve prepared and shared over 250,000 meals with charities across Australia.

With your support—whether through donating produce, funds, or time—we can feed more families, reduce waste, and give hope where it’s needed most.

Together, let’s turn surplus into sustenance.