Australian households are throwing out $5.2 billion worth of food each year, which exceeds the amount they spend on digital equipment such as flat screen TVs, according to new research by The Australia Institute.

“To put this into context, the $5.2 billion worth of food that Australians throw out each year is enough money to meet the shortfall in the United Nations Emergency Relief Fund,” said report author David Baker.

The Australia Institute is a partner in Do Something’s ‘FoodWise’ campaign, which aims to reduce this high level of waste.

What a waste – an analysis of household expenditure on food reveals that despite a majority of households being concerned about food waste, they throw out mountains of food nonetheless. Respondents also expressed guilt about discarding food, which is likely to mean their assessment of the amount they waste is an understatement.