The Australian Wine Research Institute

Transforming Riverland food loss and industry waste into profit

Project summary

A substantial proportion of horticultural production is lost pre-farm gate, or removed as an industrial waste stream. These losses and wastes are often directed into low value applications such as animal feed or simply dumped; however, if waste can be regionally aggregated there is potential for higher value applications to be realised. A collaborative project with SARDI, funded through the South Australian River Murray Sustainability (SARMS) Program, will investigate opportunities to add value to food losses and industry wastes through aggregation across agricultural sectors in the Riverland, Murraylands and Murray Mallee regions. The project is funded under the Industry-led Research Sub-Program (IRSP), which is part of the Regional Economic Development element of SARMS, funded by the Australian Government and delivered by Primary Industries and Regions SA, on behalf of the State Government.

Latest information

Wine industry waste mapping
An extensive review was conducted of wine industry wastes in the Riverland and Langhorne Creek. This included an assessment of current technologies that have been applied to wine industry waste streams and those with the potential to add value. The review also considered the average chemical composition of individual waste streams and estimated production quantities. Waste mapping was initiated through region-wide surveys of producers and processors, and through site visits to establish key infrastructure that could potentially transform waste.