Josh Ball is the co-founder of Farmers Pick, a farm-to-table grocery subscription service reshaping Australia’s food system. Launched in 2020 with co-founder Josh Brooks-Duncan, Farmers Pick rescues ‘perfectly imperfect’ fresh produce, reducing food waste while supporting local farmers. By working with a network of over 80 farms, the service delivers high-quality, affordable groceries directly to Australians, making sustainable shopping more accessible.
The unimaginable scale of food waste in Australia, and how we can take the first steps to solving it. Food waste in Australia has reached crisis levels, with over 7.6 million tonnes of edible food discarded each year—worth more than $30 billion. Every stage of our food system, from farm surpluses and strict cosmetic standards to supply-chain inefficiencies and consumer habits, sees valuable produce straight into landfill, squandering water, land and economic value while jeopardising food security. I propose a discussion about food waste at every stage, with tangible tactics that listeners can take away and enact in their own life.