MARK BARTHEL
Chief Operating Officer, Stop Food Waste Australia and Special Advisor, Fight Food Waste CRC
Since 2004, Mark has been developing the evidence and business case for action on food waste internationally and nationally in 17 countries to date. He has helped to establish world-leading voluntary agreements and award-winning campaigns, like the UK's Courtauld Commitment and Love Food Hate Waste campaign.
Mark joined the Fight Food Waste CRC as a Special Advisor in 2019 having moved to Australia from the UK, bringing 30-years’ experience of working with agri-food businesses to improve food chain resilience, intelligence, collaboration and transparency.
In January 2021, Mark was appointed as Chief Operating Officer at Stop Food Waste Australia (SFWA), a new partnership with federal, state and local governments, the agri-food industry and the food rescue sector to lead the delivery of Australia’s target to halve food waste by 2030.
In its first year of operation, Stop Food Waste Australia has launched two sector action plans (SAPs) to address significant food waste hotspots with the food cold chain and food rescue sectors, and has begun the foundational R&D for five new SAPs with the meat, dairy and bakery industries and with the hospitality and food service and institutions sectors. In early 2022, two further SAPs are being scoped with the horticulture and seafood industries.
In October 2021, SFWA launched the Australian Food Pact with federal ministers and founding signatories, including Woolworths, Coles and Simplot. The Pact is a new voluntary agreement program to reduce food waste and food insecurity, improve food chain resilience and sustainability, and unlock new value for the agri-food industry by transforming surplus food into new upcycled food and feed ingredients and products.
During his career, Mark has worked with some of the world's largest food businesses, including Tesco, M&S, Walmart, Woolworths, Coles, Coca Cola, Compass Group, Sodexo, McDonalds, Goodman Fielder, Mars, Mondelez International, Simplot, McCains, Nestle, Unilever and Danone.
