Exploring incentives to move up the Food Waste Hierarchy: a case study of the Australian cheese manufacturing sector

Abstract Halving food loss and waste by 2030 is a major global challenge. The Food Waste Hierarchy underpins strategies to achieve this, but understanding the relative importance of motivators to incentivise change is limited. This study utilises the pertinent case study of the by-product of cheese-making, 'whey', to explore this in Australia. Through semi-structured interviews with 42 nationally-representative firms, motivators were quantified using a novel 100-point allocation instrument. Profit maximisation, environmental protection, and government regulation emerge as key motivators, but there is significant heterogeneity. Motivators generally do not differ markedly across hierarchy-levels, except for government regulations, which both incentivise and disincentivise change. Findings indicate a potential failure of markets, governments and social licenses to lead to efficient resource allocation while limiting negative externalities. Pathways to challenge the status quo and transform the food system are discussed, which will likely require simultaneous forces to move enough firms up the hierarchy by 2030.