OzHarvest

On Monday we hosted a very special guest at the OzHarvest Waterloo Market and Refettorio OzHarvest - Her Excellency, The Governor General of Australia, Sam Mostyn! Her Excellency’s commitment to care, compassion, and kindness is evident in everything she does. By both her words and deeds it is clear that she role models these values. We were hugely honoured that within just a couple weeks of her swearing in as The Governor General she visited OzHarvest to highlight the work we do and most importantly shine a spotlight on the challenges being faced by so many due to the current cost of living crisis. Spending time to chat and hear stories directly from market customers, staff, and volunteers allowed the Governor General to better understand the struggles so many are experiencing. We also learned today that she loves taking selfies! At the Refettorio, Her Excellency donned an OzHarvest apron where she joined a NEST session and helped prepare a delicious and budget friendly meal. There was more listening, learning, meal sharing, and of course - more selfies! Why not! 💛

Have you noticed splashes of OzHarvest yellow in your local shopping centre lately? 👀 We're fighting household food waste across the nation and thanks to Cartology - Part of the Woolworths Group, we're getting more Use It Up Tape™ tapes in front of shoppers and into their households, helping them save food, money and the planet. The bright yellow showcases feature in 24 premium shopping destinations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. Be sure to keep an eye out!

Meet our incredible Illawarra Food Rescue Coordinator and Driver, Saxon 💛 Wearing an OzHarvest staff tee for a little over four years now, Saxon is a driving force (literally!) in the organisation, on the road every week, rescuing good food from landfil and delivering it to local charities in need. For Saxon, one of the best parts of his job is how it connects him to the local community. "It puts a smile on my face every time I see and hear what my local charities will use the food I've rescued for and who it's going to". We asked Saxon if there is a story from being on the road that sticks out to him most and he shared a time he rescued a large volume of red meat that had been labelled wrong... "The meat was perfect but the store couldn't sell it. I dropped half off to a charity that cook hot lunches. I dropped in there the next day and helped served a few meals of beef curry. The room was full of happy people enjoying a meal. Seeing the meat in a meal that I rescued and people in the community eating it made my day."

Thank you to the Green Nudges team for amplifying our household food waste research in collaboration with Dr. Mark Boulet at BehaviourWorks Australia, showcasing the Use It Up Tape™ as a powerful visual prompt, effectively nudging households towards impactful behaviour change. Recently, we partnered with The Netherlands Nutrition Centre to adapt the tape locally, known as ‘Eerst Op Tape’, which was distributed to 40,000 Dutch households. For those interested in integrating the Use It Up behaviour in your own country, please get in touch at fightfoodwaste@ozharvest.org.

Congratulations to our wonderful Nourish students who have officially graduated with a Certificate II in Cookery! 💛 After 18 weeks of hard work and dedication, 24 incredible Nourish students across Sydney, Newcastle and Adelaide have graduated with newfound life skills, meaningful connections, and opportunities for further education and work! The Nourish graduation ceremony is undoubtedly one of the best days of the year at OzHarvest as we celebrate the incredible achievements of each and every student. There wasn't a dry eye in the Sydney crowd when one student shared, "The Nourish team have created a home away from home. This isn’t just a job for them, this is a community and a family. They’re here because they love it and truly care about us. Graduating is wonderful but the support goes well beyond that.” A huge thank you to our donors and supporters including our national partners Allara Learning and Lendlease who make this program possible. A big shout out to... 19 On-Green Community Centre, Allara Learning, Adelaide Institute of Hospitality, Adelaide Convention Centre, Belmont 16s, bp, The Brocas, Canva, CBD College, City of Charles Sturt Council, Chef Works Australia, Common Ground Permaculture, Dress for Success, Dress for Work, Family Planning, FWH Foundation, HOYTS Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Josie’s Coffee, Lendlease, Mas National, Matana Foundation, Marrickville Legal Centre, Maxima, Morialta Trust, Mosaic Hotel, Nisbets, PCYC Lake Macquarie, The Pear Café, Placed Recruitment, Radish Catering, Rotary Charlestown, The Salvation Army, Sheldon & Hammond, Sullivan Consulting, Vittoria, Venues NSW, Wests Group, Woolworths Group, Working Women’s Centre and YMCA St Clair.

“It’s a national shame that 7.6 million tonnes of food goes to waste each year while 3.7 million households struggle to put food on the table.”     Western Australian Senator Dean Smith has joined forces with the food relief sector and will table a Private Bill next week to introduce a historic reform that unlock tonnes of fresh produce to help feed people in need. The National Food Donation Tax Incentive could potentially lead to 100 million extra meals by 2030, helping alleviate pressures for those struggling with the cost-of-living, as well as helping Australia achieving its commitment to halve food waste by 2030.      Senator Smith joined OzHarvest, Foodbank Australia and SecondBite this morning with 9 News to urge Federal Parliament to pass the long-awaited National Food Donation Tax Incentive.      OzHarvest CEO James Goth said “Demand for food relief is at an all-time high and our charities are telling us they are struggling to cope with the ongoing increase in numbers. This bill has the potential to get edible food off farms and onto the plates of those who need it most, addressing food security and food waste simultaneously. Politicians must recognise this need in the community and unite to implement this reform.”    Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey AM, stressed the importance of this incentive. “We have families unable to put food on the table despite tonnes of perfectly edible food being dumped or ploughed in each year. We know that households under financial pressure have been forced to reduce – or even remove – their spend on fresh fruit & vegetables and protein, meaning demand for these products at food banks across Australia has skyrocketed. This tax incentive is smart policy and the debate in the Senate next week should be about how quickly we can introduce it, not about party politics.”    Solly Fahiz from SecondBite added, “We are committed to working with the government and all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of this tax incentive. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of millions of Australians and move closer to achieving our food waste reduction goals.”      The tax reform would work to incentivise food businesses such as farmers, producers, wholesalers, transporters and food logistic companies to donate surplus food and allied services for food relief. It was a key recommendation in the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture inquiry into Food Security in Australia and has widespread endorsement from representative organisations and businesses in the Australian food industry and is already working successfully in other countries include France, Canada and United States.

Fighting food waste at home - Use It Up Tape™ now in 100,000 households! Australians are getting into good habits saving food and money thanks to our Use It Up Tape, a proven tool to reduce food waste at home by 40%*. When it comes to household food waste, there are so many reasons good food goes to waste, but thanks to our behavioural science research with BehaviourWorks Australia – we’ve made it easy to waste less at home. 2.5 million tonnes of food is wasted every year from households in Australia and 70% is edible! Whilst OzHarvest can’t rescue food from people’s homes, we can empower them to do something about it! We’re committed to doing whatever we can to meet the national target of halving food waste by 2030, and for people at home – Use It Up Tape is an easy way to do your part. To help embed the Use It Up behaviour nationally we’re always looking for support from local councils, businesses, and organisations who can help tackle this nationally with us. If you’d like to hear more, we’d love to chat – please get in touch at fightfoodwaste@ozharvest.org *Nudging Householders to Reduce Avoidable Food Waste: The OzHarvest Use It Up Tape, Sustainability Journal, 2024

With the need for food relief at an all-time high, OzHarvest teams across the country are busier than ever. Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve been up to... 💛 Our annual Community Needs Survey from the 1,500 charities we support, revealed this is toughest they’ve ever seen it. The biggest change from last year is that 67% of charities cannot meet demand, and the vast majority could take up to 50% more food. Your support helps get more food to those who need it most, and we have been overwhelmed by how many of you have rallied behind our Giving Day. This year we’ve raised enough to deliver 2 million more meals to people in need.   💛 It's an exciting time for our Adelaide team as they prepare to open OzHarvest’s second free market! In response to the increased need for food relief, we’re proud to be able to support the community by providing a variety of rescued fresh produce and pantry stables for people in need. We are so incredibly grateful to every single supporter who is helping bring this project to life. 💛 Congratulations to our wonderful Nourish students in Sydney, Adelaide, and Newcastle, who graduated with a Certificate II in Cookery this month! The 18-week program sees students gain new life skills, form meaningful connections, and opens opportunities for further education and work. The profound impact was beautifully expressed by a Sydney student who shared, "The Nourish team have created a home away from home. This isn’t just a job for them, this is a community and a family. They’re here because they love it and truly care about us. Graduating is wonderful but the support goes well beyond that.” 💛 Our partners at BioPak joined forces with chef Alastair McLeod in Brisbane to host ‘Cooking for a Change’, a zero-waste cooking event to help feed vulnerable communities while fighting food waste! Using rescued food, Alastair showed attendees how to make nourishing meals from everyday ingredients while our very own chef, Kara, joined a panel to share the importance of ensuring good food does not go to waste, and instead feeds those in need.     To find out more about what OzHarvest is doing across Australia, sign up to our bi-monthly newsletter, The Harvest: https://lnkd.in/g2peTQ32

Vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of climate change.   Climate change is here, and it’s a real threat to food security across this country. Without decisive action, it will disproportionately impact our most vulnerable communities. We need strong government leadership and better policy interventions to inclusively mitigate and adapt to climate change.  OzHarvest has joined 100 other influential community organisations to sign on to the Fast, Fair and Inclusive Blueprint Framework for Climate Action, prepared by ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service. Launched at Parliament House this morning, the Blueprint aims to guide federal policy to ensure that emissions are reduced, and resilience for vulnerable communities is increased. Specific asks within the Blueprint Framework include: ◼ Amend the Climate Change Act 2022 to include objectives and processes for a fair and inclusive transition to net zero emissions.  ◼ Mechanisms to include vulnerable people, communities and advocates in planning and decision-making.  ◼ Reform policy to fairly distribute the impacts and outcomes of climate action, so vulnerable people and communities are protected from negative impacts.    If we get the policies right, we can accelerate action on climate change, reduce poverty and inequality, increase food security, and create a more sustainable and equitable society. 

Today is Giving Day! This is your chance to help keep our wheels turning and put more food on the table for those who need it most. There has never been a more important time to support our cause. If you can, please help us continue to support those in the community who are struggling to make ends meet. Thanks to a generous group of supporters, your donation will be doubled. This means for every $1 donated, we can deliver 4 meals to people in need. Donate today: https://bit.ly/3KDvtVk