National organisation End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Wendy Hughes as Chief Executive Officer after three months in the role of acting CEO.<\/p>\n
Geoff Starr, Chair of the Board at EFWA, said Hughes has shown the leadership and collaborative approach needed to guide the organisation in its next phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cWendy has quickly built strong relationships across our industry, government and CRC partners, helping to ensure research is translated into outcomes that benefit businesses, communities and the environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and policy makes her well placed to lead the organisation as we step up action on food waste across Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
EFWA continues to work with industry, government and its Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) partners to support Australia\u2019s goal of halving food waste by 2030.<\/p>\n
Hughes said reducing food waste was critical to building a more productive, resilient and sustainable food system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t talk about the future of food in Australia without talking about food waste,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen food is discarded, we lose the value, effort and resource invested in producing it. Food waste costs Australia around 1.4 per cent of gross domestic product and remains a major inefficiency in our food system.<\/p>\n
\u201cReducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities we have to improve food security, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hughes first joined EFWA in April 2025 as Director \u2013 Policy, Communications and Strategic Engagement and has since helped strengthen the organisation\u2019s collaboration across the food system.<\/p>\n
She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across government, agribusiness, higher education, and the not-for-profit sector to the new role.<\/p>\n
She has previously served as CEO of cancer charity COUCH and has held senior advocacy and leadership roles in regional Queensland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud to lead EFWA as we work with industry, government and our CRC partners to turn knowledge into action and scale solutions that deliver real impact,\u201d Hughes said.<\/p>\n
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