Multicultural community leaders inspire others to fight food waste

Food waste costs Victorian households an average of $2,600 a year. But it’s something that we can all address through small changes in the kitchen.

Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra and Tammy Nguyen are two passionate community leaders who decided to act. As Small Acts, Big Impact campaign ambassadors, they raised awareness about food waste and shared food saving tips with their Indian and Vietnamese communities.

Harpreet harnesses the power of knowledge sharing

Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra is a prominent member of the Sikh and Indian community in Melbourne’s east. Inspired by Sustainability Victoria’s I Love Leftovers Challenge, he led an educational program about food waste for his local community. Participants shared culturally relevant tips and recipes to use up leftovers. 

The month-long program ended with a free family event at the local Sikh temple, Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar in Officer. Families discussed how to avoid food waste at home. As a highlight, participants prepared free community meals using up leftovers. 

Easy ideas from the community include:

• blitzing stale bread to make breadcrumbs to thicken curry sauces or for fried treats
• incorporating leftover daal into roti dough for added flavour and texture
• extending the life of fresh herbs by freezing them or drying them (in the sun or an air fryer).

"As a community, we can learn from each other and can make meaningful strides in addressing this pressing issue. Our small acts can make a big impact,” he said.

More tips and delicious recipes from the program are available in Punjabi.

Tammy’s tips show the value of leftovers

Food enthusiast Tammy Nguyen is a business woman and mother of 2. She is also an active member in her Vietnamese community. Despite her busy schedule, she's determined to avoid wasting food.

“Everyone knows that I hate throwing any food away. If I can save it, store it, freeze it and reuse it – I will!” she said.

“My goal is to inspire more people to appreciate the potential of leftovers and incorporate them into their weekly meal plans.”

Tammy made it her mission to encourage others to embrace leftovers. She shared insights about food waste with her social media networks to raise awareness and provide solutions. Her posts featured handy tips and recipes to turn leftovers into popular Vietnamese meals:

• leftover roast chicken and vegetables turn into a light and tangy chicken salad
• leftover rice becomes a nourishing congee.

Tammy’s tips and recipes are available in Vietnamese.

What you can do to reduce food waste

We all have the power to reduce food waste in our own homes. Small acts can make a big difference, like: 

• checking what you have before going shopping 
• planning meals that use up leftover ingredients 
• storing leftovers well.  

And the reasons to do it go beyond saving money. Food that gets thrown away breaks down in landfill in a way that creates methane. This is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. We also waste energy, water and resources used to produce and transport our food.  

“Understanding the significant impact of using leftovers on our finances and environment should motivate us to include this small but powerful change into our weekly meal planning,” said Tammy.