Rescuing food is a growing industry – but it is only a stopgap measure for addressing New Zealand’s food waste problem.
This is according to a report on food rescue as part of an ongoing investigation into food waste by the office of the prime minister’s chief science adviser.
The report estimates that more than 11,500t of food was saved by food rescue organisations in 2021, involving over 4000 volunteers.
This month, Parliament’s environment select committee estimated that more than 120,000t of food is sent to landfills each year.
Apart from the waste of resources, the rotting food generates methane, a greenhouse gas, at a time when 13.4% of children live in households with moderate to severe food insecurity, the science adviser’s office said.
Put simply, food waste is a mismatch between supply and demand – a feature of food systems in NZ and around the world. The report pointed to issues throughout NZ’s food chain.
There is, for example, a disconnect between farmers and their consumers that leads to producers misjudging demand and harvest timing, leading to surplus food being produced. Producing for export makes that even more complicated, the report said.
Overproduction can drive down prices for the likes of horticultural products, to the point where it’s not commercially viable to harvest it, and it’s left to rot in the field or dumped.
There is also planned overproduction as a hedge against unpredictable weather, something that will only get worse with climate change.
Food rescue is seen as an interim and partial solution to both food waste and food insecurity, problems that need to be addressed elsewhere.
Major changes to NZ’s food system are needed to reduce food waste. Future reports will analyse the drivers of surplus food and overproduction and try to come up with solutions.
For now, the science adviser’s office is recommending a co-ordinated plan of action for food rescue, and a better understanding of the sector’s capacity. It also said there needs to be a focus on food safety standards for rescued food.
The science adviser’s office takes a broad definition of food waste, encompassing the entire supply chain. It includes all food and drink not used for its original purpose as well as byproducts.
One recommendation is to provide tax incentives for donations of surplus produce. As an example, more than 4,000t of fruit go unharvested in Central Otago each year.
NZ’s food rescue sector has expanded in the past three years. The government funded the setting up of the NZ Food Network and the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA).
Central government support for food rescue was part of its covid-19 response, but funding beyond mid-2023 is uncertain.
AFRA was founded last year to address food insecurity in NZ households. Its members include the Salvation Army and regional groups around the country.
At the large-scale end of the food chain, AFRA rescues bulk food from producers, processors and manufacturers.
That food, along with purchased food, is distributed to 61 community food hubs, which pass it along to food-insecure communities.
Supermarkets often enforce cosmetic standards on produce, leading to waste and to growers focusing on high-grade produce to remain profitable. This is reinforced by consumers, who have very high expectations for the appearance of fresh fruit, the report said.
Interviews with staff at NZ supermarkets showed that shelves are kept continually stocked, not only to meet customer demand but to avoid panic buying when people see half-empty shelves.
During covid lockdowns, there was a surplus of flour in NZ even as it was rationed by supermarkets. The mismatch happened because unwanted large commercial bags of flour couldn’t easily be converted into domestic-sized products.
There is a prevalence of baked goods going to waste. In restaurants and cafes, unsold cabinet food accounts for 30% of food-preparation waste – in part from the difficulty of predicting demand.
At the end of the line, consumers often get their own food demands wrong. A 2018 report estimated that the average household threw away 164kg of food a year, of which 86kg was “avoidable” waste.
The science adviser’s office found opportunities for food rescue right through the food chain.
Growers could donate produce, and the report recommended converting perishable food to shelf-stable products to help manage gluts.
Like most food retailers, growers are protected under the Food Act’s “Good Samaritan” provisions against subsequent food safety concerns.
Farmers, fishers and aquaculture operators could donate surplus meat, dairy products and eggs, but operate under the Animal Products Act, which has a similar Good Samaritan clause.
AFRA considers seafood, meat, dairy products and eggs as high-risk foods and advises its members not to accept fresh chicken.
Supermarket policies are mixed.
Countdown’s internal policies allow unpackaged food such as bakery and deli items to be donated, but rival Foodstuffs doesn’t allow this.
On the other hand, Foodstuffs allows chilled products past their “best before” date to be donated, and Countdown does not.
