Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie — Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most cherished meals in the United States. It’s a celebration of abundance, family and tradition, with millions of home cooks intentionally preparing more than they need to ensure leftovers are shared and enjoyed.

When we spoke to the US Food Pact, Thanksgiving was just around the corner, and they estimated that 320 million lbs of food was going to go to waste during the holiday. That’s $550 million worth of food, or 267 million uneaten meals, with the emissions equivalent of 190,000 gas powered vehicles for a year. Happening in one single day.

In this final episode of the series, WRAP’s Talya Shalev speaks with WWF’s Tara Dalton and ReFED’s Jackie Suggitt about the paradox of abundance and waste, how food insecurity and rising prices are widening the gap, and the work underway to build a food system that can nourish both people and planet.

Game and produce like kangaroo, wattleseed and bush tomato are part of Australia’s oldest food traditions, shaped by tens of thousands of years of care for land and Country. Today, these foods exist alongside a modern food system built for – yet one that wastes enough food every year to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground ten times over, even as more families struggle to put food on the table.

In our latest episode of Don’t Waste This, WRAP’s Talya Shalev speaks with Francesca Goodman-Smith from End Food Waste Australia about what’s driving this paradox. From climate-driven disasters that disrupt food production and storage, to the staggering scale of food wasted across the system, Francesca explains why building a more resilient and future-proofed food system matters now more than ever.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, food is central to national identity. From farm to family table, dishes like roast lamb reflect a deep connection to land, people and produce. Yet despite being a food-abundant nation that can feed far more than its own population, rising food prices and growing food insecurity mean many families can no longer afford these everyday meals, while huge volumes of edible food are still wasted – it’s like wasting all food grown on the North Island.

WRAP’s Talya Shalev speaks with Kaitlin Dawson, Executive Director of the Kai Commitment, a not-for-profit organisation working to reduce food waste and create a food system that nourishes people, supports communities and protects our environment.

Kaitlin talks about the scale of food waste across households and businesses, the land and resources lost to food that never reaches a plate, and why food waste remains an overlooked lever for climate and social action. Together, they explore what Aotearoa New Zealand stands to lose if food continues to be taken for granted – and why valuing food is essential to protecting culture, connection and the future of a food-producing nation.