New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 Charitable Trust (NZFWC 12.3 Trust)

This week we held the National Food Waste Summit, co-hosted by WasteMINZ and New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 Charitable Trust (NZFWC 12.3 Trust). I had the privilege of setting the scene, globally and locally as well as wrapping up the day.   The impact of data and culture were two themes that stood out for me from just about every presentation, as well as in our interactive break out sessions.  The bottom line is, we need data, but just as importantly we need to use the data we have, better. And critically, we must normalise food waste reduction until it is in our DNA and BAU across the community.    These, and other key themes from the day, were masterfully captured by illustrator Elise Motalli ✏️ – it’s very powerful to see the many hours of quality conversation and presentations distilled in this way.     We also had an incredibly inspiring showcase from Kyrin Gourley at Foodstuffs South Island, highlighting how they connect their 1200 supply chain staff to food waste; Gemma Donaldson from South Kaipara cut an onion to demonstrate the many layers to their impactful mahi; and Stephanie Cavell from New Zealand Cherry Corp, showing how they are transforming cherry surplus into delicious products.   Sheila Skeaff talked us through the food waste baseline data gathering exercise, we await the data with bated breath for the output, but equally were encouraged to get on with the action.   Sam Oakden from End Food Waste Australia outlined the incredible impact that is possible with a coordinated approach that brings motivated stakeholders together to enact change. A vibrant panel facilitated by Dame Juliet Gerrard, with Catherine Langabeer, Sam Oakden, Angela Clifford and Joya Kemper debating whether New Zealand needs a food waste strategy. There were constructive challenges batted around, with a very clear action-focused ending. Importantly, we facilitated interactive break-out sessions, plotting ourselves on the food waste ecosystem, diving into the data we do and don’t have, the drivers of our food waste and how we can better collaborate for impact.   In the end, I prompted everyone to leave with an action to start using the Kai Commitment Target, Measure, Act, Collaborate framework, one that takes another step towards building a culture change, a movement for food waste reduction that cannot be ignored.   Thank you to our speakers, panelists break-out session facilitators and attendees for making it such a valuable day.    A big thank you to Fiona Lavin who brought this summit to life, including juggling all of the tech. #foodwaste #foodsystem #collaboration  

Big mihi to Kaitlin Dawson for putting me forward to talk reduction in food waste and collaboration in action at the WasteMINZ online hui today.   💙 💚 💛 It was a great hui filled with lots of interesting tidbits of what others in the food waste sector (god I hate that that term even exists!) are doing.   Embedding micro interventions, those little things done on the daily (or don't do - put down the 3 for $6 special if you won't even eat 2 of them [internal reflection there 😥]) into our daily lives are integral to solving the larger problem. Working collaboratively and constructively is a central part of the mahi we do, and as a member of the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance, we are proud to be 1 of 37 organisations working to get kai to those who need it most and remove it from the waste stream.    Final takeaway, DATA, BAB-AY! Track it, if you don't - you can't highlight your story and the impact you have.    

Great day at the WasteMINZ and New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 Charitable Trust (NZFWC 12.3 Trust) Waste Summit - moving forward on food waste, but lots of work to do.

A new report published by ReFED analyses the methane impact of food waste in the US, revealing that surplus food accounts for an estimated 14% of total methane emissions in the US. Methane is more potent but has a shorter-term global warming effect than other greenhouse gases, meaning by targeting methane reductions, we can target more immediate global warming outcomes. By isolating methane emissions, ReFED are able to demonstrate the significant role methane plays in the overall greenhouse gas footprint of food waste. Here’s what they found: * More methane emissions come from production of wasted food (62%) than from its disposal (38%). This supports the notion that prevention should be prioritised in food waste reduction efforts.  * Dairy and beef, as well as prepared foods are the categories with the biggest methane footprints in the US. * Consumer food waste (both in and out of home) accounts for 63% of the entire methane footprint of surplus food.  * The biggest opportunities for methane reductions are: investing in recycling infrastructure that diverts food waste from landfill; addressing consumer food waste through interventions and education and; incentivising businesses to prevent and reuse food waste through the supply chain.  This new data crystalizes the importance of food waste reduction as a climate change action. See the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gs-j7BJr

We don’t throw away what we value. While reducing food waste is our main focus, what truly drives our mission is reconnecting people with the reality of what’s being lost when food goes to waste. Food waste is a symptom of our disconnection from and devaluing of the resources that go into growing, raising, and harvesting our food, not to mention all that happens post-farm gate. This #WorldFoodDay, we are focussing on how the lens of food waste can help build an understanding of what is being wasted when food that could/should be eaten goes to waste. What’s something you’ve done that has really helped you understand the value of food? #WorldFoodDay2024 #FoodWaste #valuingfood

We don’t throw away what we value. While reducing food waste is our main focus, what truly drives our mission is reconnecting people with the reality of what’s being lost when food goes to waste. Food waste is a symptom of our disconnection from and devaluing of the resources that go into growing, raising, and harvesting our food, not to mention all that happens post-farm gate. This #WorldFoodDay, we are focussing on how the lens of food waste can help build an understanding of what is being wasted when food that could/should be eaten goes to waste. What’s something you’ve done that has really helped you understand the value of food? #WorldFoodDay2024 #FoodWaste #valuingfood

The most simple question I could ever be asked stumped me yesterday - what is food waste? I couldn’t nail my answer in the 20 seconds I had. This was asked in a mock interview where I was being asked about government funding cuts and food waste was quoted as being a woke problem we shouldn’t waste our efforts on (not an unbelievable interview situation). I realised that I’ve lost the simple connection I once had about why I started dedicating time to highlighting why this is something that wastes more in the long run if we DON’T address it. Valuing our food makes sense on so many levels, recently I’ve had to massage the narrative into 1000 different messages to try and convince the unconvinced of this and it’s thrown me off. It’s exhuasting, demotivating and means I’m off my A-game. So while I get back to the simple why, I’ll leave this article to convince you that it’s an opportunity that deeply affects us all. We can no longer use 30% of our land to throw 1/3rd of what we produce, the cost transferred to us as consumers and let 1 in 5 go hungry. #foodwaste #foodsystem

🌱 Fonterra is one of Kai Commitment’s founding Signatories, and we’re delighted to share a case study on how their Collingwood St cheese plant in Taranaki has seen 75% of organic waste diverted from landfill.     🌱 Read how, through the initiative of their Compliance and Environmental Manager, an internal culture of innovation and cross-supply chain collaboration has resulted in organic waste being sent to anaerobic digestion at Ecogas, avoiding 666,760 CO2e of carbon emissions from landfills as well as delivering cost savings. 🌟 https://bit.ly/4eDvwxN Janine Cole, Kelvin Gray, Rosie Cotter, Simon Tucker, Rosy Herstell Amavi Mey ANDREW FISHER #foodwaste #voluntaryagreement #industryaction #kaicommitment

Getting up close and personal with large-scale commercial food waste at EcoStock was a stark reminder of why the Kai Commitment programme is so important and why we must not stop looking for ways to prevent waste from occurring in food manufacturing and retail, and keep pushing to ensure unavoidable waste stays out of landfill.   The reasons for food waste in manufacturing and retailing are many and complex, including batch errors, contamination issues, cancelled orders, failures in the cold chain, best-before and expiry dates and many more. But the simple fact remains that, while each operation has its reasons, the reality of these combined reasons means HUNDREDS OF TONNES of food is going to waste destinations EVERY DAY, and that is just a small part of the picture. We can and must find other solutions, starting with optimising processes to prevent food from becoming waste and ending with recovering its value.    What we saw at ECOSTOCK was a business committed to sustainability - every part of their operations is geared towards circular outcomes - for instance, they are currently doing testing on a gravel-like product called EcoRock, made from soft plastics of wasted food; they have meticulous sorting stations that mean that different types of packaging can be optimally recycled, it’s inspiring to see. While it would be great if there weren’t the need for a business to be processing the volumes of #foodwaste they do, the work they are doing is keeping food out of landfill, feeding stock and supporting recycling initiatives.   #foodwaste #circulareconomy #upcycling #foodwastesolutions ANDREW FISHER Abhinav Singh Rosy Herstell Mouna Neyogi Jessica Broun

Knowledge isn’t just power; when it comes to food waste, we believe it’s also a pathway to opportunity!   We know you can only manage what you measure, and it’s been inspiring to see how the large food manufacturer Goodman Fielder team has leaned into the opportunity to take a deep dive into understanding existing and uncovering new (and sometimes unexpected) food waste streams through the Kai Commitment, as their head of sales and marketing Jason McCauley explains. The programme sees all signatories undertake an annual food waste measurement across their operations as part of their commitment to reducing food waste.     Equally exciting has been seeing how the Goodman Fielder team are using this new knowledge as a springboard for new projects to not only find solutions to that waste but also uncover new opportunities for cost savings, emissions reductions and new product development. It’s great to be on this journey with them.   #kaicommitment #foodwasteaction #foodwaste #voluntaryagreement