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Writer's pictureEmma Napper

From Food Waste to Full Plates: The Impact of Food Rescue in Aotearoa


Approximately 14% of Kiwis experience food insecurity (Ensor, 2022), yet households in the country throw away over 157,398 tonnes of food annually (Love Food Hate Waste, 2024). With so many New Zealanders going hungry, it’s insane to think that we’re throwing so much food away when we could be using it to feed our tamariki. 


Food insecurity has become such a major issue that 1 in 5 children go hungry (Ensor, 2022). This affects children both mentally and physically causing these children to become sick far more often than their peers. It has been reported that there has been a 42% increase in the demand for food support in 2023 compared to 2022 (NZFN, 2024)


Luckily, Aotearoa has an abundance of organisations including the likes of Kiwiharvest, Kaibosh, Fair Food, Good Neighbour and Sunday Blessings, help rescue quality surplus food and redistribute to those in need. These charities are supported by the likes of The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) and Aoteroa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA).


NZFN partners with bulk food suppliers like supermarkets, food producers and wholesalers to collect, store and sort donated food (NZFN, 2024). They then distribute it to their food hubs around the country who pass it on to a number of food hubs like food banks and Iwis (NZFN, 2024). Since 2020 NZFN has been able to provide over 70 million meals to people in need, yet they report that they’re able to meet 60% of the demand for their services (NZFN, 2024).


AFRA was created in March 2021 as part of our Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact on food insecurity for New Zealand households (AFRA, 2024). They’re made up of over 30 food rescue organizarions across the motu, from 2021 - 2022 they helped to rescue and redistribute 10 million kilograms of food to those in need (AFRA, 2024).


These organizations do crucial work in supporting the community and reducing foodwaste on a large scale but there is still alot of work to be done. Many smaller retailers often have only a few items that are left over at the end of the day which isn’t much use to local food banks due to it’s limited quantity and extremely short shelf-life. That’s where Foodprint comes in. Foodprint allows eateries to list individual surplus food items at a reduced price to reduce their food waste.



Food rescue organisations in Aotearoa do incredible work and always on the smell of an oily rag. They are run by the most amazing people and supported by teams of volunteers. To find out more about food rescue organisations in your area and how you can help, check out AFRA’s members and get in touch. 




References:


AFRA. (2024, September 4). About us: Afra Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance: New Zealand. https://afra.org.nz/about-us/



NZFN. (2024, September 3). About Us. NZ Food Network. https://www.nzfoodnetwork.org.nz/about-us/ 




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