A bold idea proposed by Australia's top hunger relief charity could solve this, with tax relief touted as a potential solution to get food earmarked for the tip into people's pantries.
Foodbank Australia is recommending a national food donation tax incentive in its annual hunger report, release on Wednesday, with the issue proving stubborn despite cost-of-living measures being put in place.
"We do know that the tax incentive works, it works in the USA, it works in Germany," chief executive and former independent MP Kylea Tink told AAP.
"We want this government to seriously consider it in this term. We don't understand why they're not moving on it."
Foodbank concedes the incentive will not completely cover the increased cost for growers to transport excess produce but argues a tax break to reduce the burden will give more kind-hearted businesses a reason to help tackle food insecurity.
Hunger issues are particularly acute among renters and households containing someone with a disability, indicating the government's cost-of-living relief measures are not doing enough to ease food security pressures.
Even households earning more than $91,000 are feeling the pinch of food prices, with one-in-five reporting they have worries about putting food on the table.
"We grow and produce enough food in Australia to feed our entire population three times over," Ms Tink said.
"We just need to fix the system of getting it into people's hands."
The proposal to give farmers financial incentives for donations is nothing new, with Liberal senator Dean Smith introducing a private member's bill with crossbench support to create the scheme in 2024.
Reducing the food in landfill by getting it into hungry mouths is not just a social good, it also has environmental upside.
"Food waste is a significant contributor to carbon emissions in this country," Ms Tink said.
"We should be incentivising growers and manufacturers to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce our carbon emissions."
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