Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Impact Of Fresh Produce Specifications On The Australian Food And Nutrition System: A Case Study Of The North Queensland Banana Industry, Amy White, Danielle Gallegos, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Objective: To use the north Queensland banana industry as a case study to examine the extent to which cosmetic standards set by retailers influence the amount of edible waste generated on-farm and the effect of this on the sustainability of the Australian food and nutrition system.Design: Waste audits were performed on-farm at a banana packing shed to quantify the amount of fruit discarded due to cosmetic imperfections. These data, together with production records provided by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and interviews with growers, were used to inform a nutritional analysis, a life cycle assessment and an economic …