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COVID has made us better cooks & food users

COVID has made us better cooks & food users

Our relationship with food has changed enormously during COVID - and we've got that stats to prove it

COVID-19 changed the way we shop, buy and appreciate food. Here’s how the pandemic changed our relationship with food according to OzHarvest, NSW Government & Love Food, Hate Waste.

There are a couple of surveys and opinion pieces around, but the important thing is to look at the extraordinary trending numbers rather than worrying about their preciseness. We need to be more concerned about trends and less about the preciseness of things that don't really matter so much. 



  1. 86% are glad to live in a country that grows its own food


  2. 70% appreciate farmers more and 90% say they will continue to do so


  3. 59% of Australians say they are wasting less food because of lockdown experience


  4. 48% more Australians are cooking from scratch


  5. 56% of Australians are shopping more purposely for food


  6. 46% appreciate food more


  7. 24% are freezing food to maximise storage life


  8. 20% are cooking together and teaching their kids how to cook


  9. 30% check what's a home before heading to shop


  10. 33% are more aware about food waste and how to use food


Food recovery hierarchy

The importance of these numbers can't be understated because the impacts are extraordinary. Reducing waste at a household level reduces the impact from the start of the waste supply chain.

Image: KPMG 2020 Fighting food waste through the circular economy / Food Hierarchy Infographic - Rabo Bank

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