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.

[EN] Indonesia’s culture is rooted in food full of flavour. Fromturmeric and ginger to cloves and pepper, spices have shaped the nation’s identity, its economy, and the daily meals shared across millions of homes. But this rich food heritage is at risk, threatened not only by a changing climatebut by the volume of food being wasted each year.

In this episode of Don’t Waste This, WRAP’s Tiur Rumondang speaks with Indah Budiani from the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) to explore the cultural, economic and environmental significance of Indonesia’s food system. Indah explains how food waste now makes up around 44% of the country’s total waste, that wasting food is a waste of the human effort it’s taken to grow and produce it, and why spices, once the backbone ofIndonesia’s identity, could become harder for future generations to access if nothing changes.

This episode has been recorded in Bahasa Indonesia. If you want to follow along in English, you can view the video recording with subtitles on YouTube or read the written transcription on WRAP’s website.

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[ID] Budaya Indonesia berakar pada makanan yang penuh cita rasa. Dari kunyit dan jahe hingga cengkih dan lada, rempah-rempah telah membentuk identitas bangsa,perekonomian, dan hidangan sehari-hari yang dinikmati di jutaan rumah. Namun, warisan kuliner yang kaya ini sedang terancam — bukan hanya oleh perubahan iklim, tetapi juga oleh banyaknya makanan yang terbuang setiap tahun.

Dalam episode Don’t Waste This ini, Tiur Rumondang dari WRAP berbicara dengan Indah Pudiani dari Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) untuk menggali makna budaya, ekonomi, dan lingkungan dari sistem pangan Indonesia. Indah menjelaskan bagaimana sampah makanan kini menjadi sekitar 44% dari total sampah negara, berapa banyak yang hilang sebelum bahkan mencapai piring masyarakat, dan mengapa rempah-rempah, yang dulu menjadi tulang punggung identitas Indonesia, bisa menjadi lebih sulit diakses oleh generasi mendatang jika tidak ada perubahan.Episode ini direkam dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Jika Anda ingin mengikuti dalam bahasa Inggris, Anda dapat menonton rekaman video dengan teks terjemahan di YouTube atau membaca transkripsi tertulis di situs web WRAP.

In the Netherlands, bread is a daily staple, filling lunchboxes from boardrooms to classrooms. But it’s also one of the country’s most wasted foods - everyday, around 700,000 loaves of bread are baked but never eaten.

WRAP’s Talya Shalev speaks with Jip Jordaan from Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling (Food Waste Free United) to unpack the story behind the Dutch lunchbox sandwich and hidden cost of taking food for granted. Talya and Jip explore why behavioural change is just as crucial as system change to reduce bread waste, how global instability is affecting rising wheat prices, and why restoring the value of food is essential to protecting the Netherlands’ humble lunch culture.

[EN] Mole and tortillas are at the heart of Mexican culture, representing comfort, celebration and tradition. But for a dish so loved, it is highly wasted, with one in three tortillas ending up in the bin while 30 million people still face food insecurity.

In this episode of Don’t Waste This, WRAP’s Carolina Fernández speaks with Claudia Sánchez, National Coordinator of Pacto por la Comida at Red BAMX, to explore the cultural and environmental significance of maize, the rising climate pressures on its production, the scale of food waste in Mexico, and why valuing the food on our plates matters now more than ever.

This episode has been recorded in Spanish. If you want to follow along in English, you can view the video recording with subtitles on YouTube or read the written transcription on WRAP’s website.

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[ES] El mole y las tortillas son parte fundamental de la cultura mexicana, representando consuelo, celebración y tradición. Sin embargo, a pesar de ser un platillo tan apreciado, se desperdicia considerablemente: una de cada tres tortillas termina en la basura, mientras que 30 millones de personas aúnenfrentan inseguridad alimentaria.

En este episodio de No Desperdicies Esto, Carolina Fernández de WRAP conversa con Claudia Sánchez, Coordinadora Nacional del Pacto por la Comida en Red BAMX, para explorar la importancia cultural y ambiental del maíz, la creciente presión climática sobre su producción, la magnitud del desperdicio de alimentos en México y por qué valorar la comida en nuestros platos es ahora más importante que nunca.

Este episodio se grabó en español. Si desea seguirlo en inglés, puede ver el video con subtítulos en YouTube o leer la transcripción escrita en el sitio web de WRAP.

In our second episode of Don’t Waste This, we head to South Africa, where everyday starch-based dishes like maize porridge, or pap, are more than food; they are comfort, culture, and the backbone of mass nutrition.

But behind the familiarity and comfort of starchy foods lies an abundance paradox. South Africa can grow enough staple food to feed its population and export to the world, yet 10.3 million tonnes of food are wasted every year while nearly 15 million people face food insecurity.

WRAP’s Talya Shalev speaks with Matlou Setati from the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa about how climate change is disrupting the ability of farmers and households to grow staple crops, the scale of food waste across the supply chain, and why shifting mindsets is just as critical as changing systems to protect the foods that feed South Africa — and the people who rely on them.

You can view the video recording with subtitles on ⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠or read the written transcription on ⁠⁠WRAP’s website⁠⁠.

In the first episode of Don’t Waste This, we travel to Brazil to uncover the story of cassava, a humble root vegetable that holds deep cultural, economic, and environmental significance.

Carolina Fernández from WRAP speaks with Luiza Soares, Conservation Analyst at WWF Brazil, about why cassava matters, how food waste threatens biodiversity and food security, and how the Brazil Without Waste initiative is tackling these challenges. Discover how protecting staple crops like cassava connects to global goals to reduce food loss and waste, protect nature and fight hunger.

[EN] This episode has been recorded in Portuguese. If you want to follow along in English, you can view the video recording with subtitles on ⁠YouTube ⁠or read the written transcription on ⁠WRAP’s website⁠.

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No primeiro episódio de Don’t Waste This, viajamos ao Brasil para descobrir a história da mandioca, um alimento simples, mas com grande importância cultural, econômica e ambiental.

Carolina Fernández, da WRAP, conversa com Luiza Soares, analista de conservação do WWF-Brasil, sobre a importância da mandioca, como o desperdício de alimentos ameaça abiodiversidade e a segurança alimentar, e o que o Brasil está fazendo para enfrentar esses desafios por meio da iniciativa Brasil Sem Desperdício. Descubra como proteger alimentos básicos como a mandioca está ligado a metas globais de redução de perdas e desperdício de alimentos, proteção ao meio ambiente e combate à fome.

[PT-BR] Este episódio foi gravado em português. Se quiser acompanhar em inglês, você pode assistir à gravação em vídeo com legendas no ⁠YouTube ⁠ou ler a transcrição completa no site da ⁠WRAP⁠.