Woolworths’ ambitious goal to keep unsold food from landfill.

It’s a disturbing paradox. Around a third of food in New Zealand gets thrown in the bin, yet many Kiwis are going hungry.

Diverting food that would be otherwise be disposed of to those who really need it is a no-brainer, and something Woolworths New Zealand is pulling out all the stops to achieve.

While not all its unsold food is suitable for human consumption, much is safe and edible and can be passed on via food rescue organisations throughout the country.

Around 160,000 tonnes of food, worth nearly $1.2bn, is binned in New Zealand every year, with about 50 per cent of that coming from homes and 15 per cent from retail. In 2020 Woolworths set a goal of having all its food waste diverted from landfill by 2025.

It’s an ambitious target, says Woolworths New Zealand head of sustainability Catherine Langabeer, but the retailer is tracking well to get there.

“Our top performing stores in New Zealand are now achieving stunning results, with more than 90 per cent of food being diverted from landfill,” says Langabeer. “We’d seen stores in Australia hitting this level and it was really inspiring – now we know it can be done here as well.”

All Woolworths stores partner with at least one food rescue organisation which takes away surplus food that can’t be sold due to being close to its ‘use by’ date, but is still edible.

These organisations include the Salvation Army, KiwiHarvest, Fair Food and Kaibosh along with other members of Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA). They then redistribute the food to people in the community who are struggling.

“One in five children in New Zealand face food insecurity so, for many families, this can make a big difference,” says Langabeer.

Woolworths is upping the amount of food it gives to food rescue partners by introducing and streamlining processes to donate unsold items. The company has three full-time resource recovery specialists who have developed practices to cut down on waste. Each store also has a team member designated as resource recovery champion, whose role is to lead those practices in store and liaise with food rescue partners.

For example, the champion and department managers may meet daily to personally review what is going into the landfill bin and to shine a light on any missed opportunities.

Technology developed by Woolworths helps to support the day-to-day diversion process. “We have devices used to scan the barcode of the products and this shows the team the actions they can take in relation to the product,” says Langabeer.

“If the action is to divert to a food rescue partner, then the scanner will tell them what to do, such as put meat in the freezer. Making this investment to enhance technology is really helping because it keeps things simple and easy to understand. It’s a real breakthrough.”

The food rescue processes take into account the “food waste hierarchy”, says Langabeer. “First up, you always want edible food to go to people and, if that’s not possible, then you donate to farmers. If you can’t do that, then you want to compost it. But you really don’t want to compost food someone could be eating.”

Keeping food out of landfill is not only good for people (if it can get to those who need it) but also for the planet. When it decomposes in landfill, it releases methane gas, which is harmful to the environment. And when food is wasted so are all the resources that went into growing and making it, like land, fuel and water, Langabeer says.

Woolworths has a grant scheme for its food rescue partners. Last financial year it has set aside around $2m, to help organisations with running costs and buying vehicles or equipment.

Woolworths is also encouraging its customers to do their bit to cut down on food waste at home. It offers tips on its website and on the packaging of some of its products on how to buy, store and use food. For example, limp lettuce can be revived in ice water, and many different foods can be frozen if you’re not going to eat them by their use-by date.

Woolworths is also a member of Kai Commitment, which brings other like-minded businesses together to reduce food waste from farm to plate.

Langabeer says, “A lot of people might feel like there’s not much they can do to make a difference to the environment, especially in these tough times. But avoiding food waste is one of the top actions individuals can take – saving money at the same time.”

“Even small things count, like looking at what’s hiding in your fridge and getting creative with a recipe so you don’t have to waste it.”

For more information: countdown.co.nz/info/community-and-environment/food-for-good/zero-food-waste