From canned tuna to crumbed fish and frozen greens, Simplot is committed to reducing waste. Photograph by Jason Loucas. From kitchens to paddocks, there’s a new story being written, in which locally available, free-roaming animals are being turned into culinary delights, farmers develop nutrient-rich snacks from wasted produce and our recipe books fill with new techniques that use every part of ingredients. It’s about food being treasured, repurposed and given new life.
The chef Alex Prichard, currently working his magic at Sydney’s renowned restaurant Icebergs, exemplifies this transformation. “The more I engaged with farmers, producers, growers and fishermen, the more I realised how much potential was being left unused,” he says. As culinary director at Icebergs, Prichard pioneers methods that ensure every part of an ingredient is exploited, from scraping tuna bones and curing the meat with spices and chilli to create a spreadable, flavourful appetiser, to using oysters that don’t meet the kitchen’s high presentation standards to craft a unique mayonnaise. Prichard has even used rooster — typically a discarded by-product of the poultry industry — in creative and appealing ways. His ethos of not letting anything go to waste has pushed the boundaries of what can be done in a high-end kitchen, proving that sustainability and high-end dining can work in harmony.
Recently, in collaboration with Icebergs bar director and beverage master Matty Opai, Prichard launched Chell-Oh!, an Australian-made alcoholic drink infused with citrus that’s poised to be the spritz of choice this spring. Available in Yuzucello, Caffè and Limoncello flavours, Chell-Oh! is made from “C-grade” fruit: produce that doesn’t make the cut for retail sale due to blemishes, irregular shapes or discolouration. But it doesn’t stop there. The zest that’s a by-product of making Chell-Oh! is repurposed into a crunchy pastry topping, adding a citrusy note and a honeycomb-like texture that’s perfect on pavlova.
Chefs Vince Trim and Jo Barrett have taken a philosophical and literal step outside the kitchen and into the fields, working hard to address the challenge of invasive species, which is affecting states across Australia. According to the CSIRO, Australia is now home to nearly 3,000 invasive species, costing the nation approximately $25 billion annually in agricultural loss and management. The culling of kangaroos, wallabies, deer and other invasive or overpopulous species is common practice, yet Barrett saw a missed opportunity. “These animals are an untapped resource,” she says. “They’re organic, wild, free-ranging and without hormones or antibiotics, yet we’re not utilising them.” Inspired by her passion for hunting and sustainable food-sourcing, and her connection with Billy Staughton of the sustainable and ethical wild game supplier Discovered Wildfoods, Barrett recognised the potential to turn these animals into something positive. Thus, Wildpie was born — a venture that turns government culling programs into gourmet pies. “If we can create something handmade, gourmet and high-end that the hospitality industry can embrace, then we’re offering a solution,” Barrett says.
As executive chef at Mona, Trim is equally committed to using every part of available resources. “The hospitality industry generates a lot of by-products, so it’s crucial that we take responsibility,” he says. “Our green ops team is making significant strides — like diverting more than 750 kilograms of organic matter each week from landfill to composting — and we’re constantly exploring how we can reintegrate more of that back into our food system.”
Tasmania, facing an overpopulation of wallabies, uses widespread culling to protect farmland. Trim describes this as a “loop of craziness”, where perfectly usable animals often go to waste. Thanks to recent legislative changes driven by advocates like Trim, wild-shot meats such as wallaby and deer can now be processed and brought into the food system after undergoing food safety inspections. This not only aids wildlife management but also transforms an ecological challenge into a valuable culinary resource.
Trim has also turned his attention to the ocean, where invasive species like the long-spined sea urchin are wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Driven south by climate change, these urchins are destroying kelp forests and disrupting marine life. For Trim, incorporating these problematic species into his cooking is about addressing an unseen ecological crisis by turning these invaders into valuable resources. “People don’t think about what’s happening under the ocean,” he says.
Just as he uses wild deer in his menus, Trim is passionate about transforming sea urchins into star dishes, highlighting the vital connection between our food choices and the health of our planet. “We need to use everything more, recycle, repurpose,” he says. “With effort and creativity, we can turn what’s overlooked into something valuable and exciting.”
John Said, CEO of the fresh-produce supplier Fresh Select and spin-off upcycling company Nutri V, is at the forefront of Australia’s upcycled foods market. Collaborating with the CSIRO, he has developed innovative vegetable powders and snacks that successfully repurpose broccoli, pumpkin and cauliflower that would otherwise be discarded. “We would sit in [Fresh Select] meetings and simply talk basic numbers,” he recalls. “We would plant 10 plants of broccoli and we would only ever harvest seven and a half, eight at the most. Same for cauliflower, same for pumpkin. In other words, our yield was always hovering around 75 to 80 per cent of what we would plant. Before you know it, food waste was a topic. We needed to do something about it.”
The result is a line of nutrient-dense vegetable powders and crunchy vegetable puffs in three delicious flavours and varieties under the Nutri V label. “By investing in research, we can create products that are good for the environment and appealing to consumers,” Said says, articulating a vision of a world where nothing is wasted and everything is valued.
Simplot is another family-owned Australian company that’s delving deeper into the entire food system. For those unfamiliar with the name, just check your pantry — from Birds Eye and Edgell to Leggo’s and Providore d’Italia, it’s likely you have something from Simplot at home. Simplot has been a key participant in End Food Waste Australia’s Australian Food Pact, a collaborative initiative aiming to halve the nation’s discarded food by 2030. “At Simplot we employ a zero-loss mindset, continually striving to be more efficient and do more with less,” says Phoebe Dowling, Simplot’s head of global food sustainability.
One of the company’s key initiatives is a partnership with the waste broker Nationwide Waste Solutions to ensure that any damaged or otherwise non-consumable products are managed sustainably, drastically reducing what ends up in landfill. Dowling also highlights its collaboration with the hunger relief agency Foodbank Australia, noting, “We constantly work with them to build food rescue into our product design and manufacturing processes, ensuring that as much surplus food as possible is redirected to where it’s needed most.”
Simplot’s commitment to sustainability extends to its products, such as the frozen bean category, where they’ve challenged traditional defect tolerances to reduce unnecessary rejections, contributing further to their goal of minimising what gets discarded. These efforts, Dowling says, are part of a broader strategy, recognising that “minimising food loss is multidimensional — it can financially benefit manufacturers and farmers, reduce greenhouse gasses and address food insecurity”.
Mandy Hall, a former “MasterChef Australia” contender known for championing fermentation before it became cool, is now the campaign director for End Food Waste Australia. Hall emphasises the urgency of a collective wake-up call for Australians akin to the Cancer Council’s “Slip, Slop, Slap” campaign that launched in 1981 and changed our behaviour around sun safety. “We need that same level of awareness when it comes to food waste,” Hall says. She regards the change as a grassroots movement, “something positive, relatable and empowering. Something easy. Something that can even be a source of pride for people to own and talk about.
“It’s about asking ourselves, can we use this ingredient in a different way?” Hall continues. “Can we support restaurants that are committed to reducing waste? It’s time to take ownership of the food we consume and make sustainable choices part of our everyday routine.”
The path towards zero waste is strewn with obstacles, but its advocates are undeterred. Their work is a testament to the idea that with passion, creativity and a commitment to doing better, we can turn waste into something worth cherishing. Perhaps as we cook up a storm tonight, we can remember that true luxury lies not in what we discard in the pursuit of perfection but in what we save and transform. This is the new frontier of food: it’s not just about sustainability, but redefining how we use our resources.
