The Big Wonky Strawberry highlights a big issue

Dash Water and strawberry farmers Darren and Tarn Hayes, have “wonkified” the Big Strawberry in Koonoomoo, Victoria to send the message that wonky fruits and vegetables might be bent, crushed, or misshapen but are just as beautiful and delicious as any other.

Fresh produce accounts for 50 per cent of all food waste in Australia, with more than three million tonnes of fruit and vegetables go to waste every year – enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground to the brim five times.

End Food Waste Australia recently released the Horticulture Sector Action Plan after extensive consultation and research. EFWA CEO Dr Steven Lapidge said that not only was reducing horticulture food waste critical for Australia to achieve its goal of halving food waste by 2030, but there were also benefits across the community. 

“Tackling fresh produce waste would provide billions of dollars of economic benefits, reduce the growing environmental impact of our food system, and will directly help feed millions more food insecure Australians every year,” Lapidge said. 

Dash Water uses wonky fruit in its range of sparkling spring waters, infusing the water with produce that would otherwise go to waste.

Dash Water co-founder Jack Scott said, “Growing up in a family of farmers, food waste has always been such an important issue to me and one of the main reasons why we’ve infused real wonky fruits into our cans.

“We’re proud to use business as a force of good and are excited to partner with The Big Strawberry to create the biggest wonky strawberry anyone has ever seen, and in Australia of all places, surrounded by great big things.”

Australia is known for its fondness of big things, the Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Big Merino, and Big Lobster to name a few.

The Hayes, also co-owners of the Big Strawberry, said they were thrilled to collaborate with Dash and bring more attention to Australia’s food waste problem.

“We understand that fruit in all shapes, sizes and forms are beautiful and more importantly delicious, despite what supermarkets are telling us. Just because a piece of fruit and veg isn’t perfectly symmetrical, doesn’t mean it needs to go straight to landfill,” Tarn Hayes said.

Dash Water is giving away free cans of its range to visitors who stop at the Big Wonky Strawberry.