Fonterra joins Kai Commitment initiative to reduce NZ’s food waste

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Fonterra is taking part in the Kai Commitment Initiative, which is aimed at reducing food waste and emissions.

The new initiative was launched on Wednesday by New Zealand Food Waste Champions.

New Zealand Food Waste Champions is a coalition of representatives from across the food supply chain, championing Aotearoa’s progress towards halving food waste by 2030.

The Kai Initiative was a voluntary agreement between these representatives to reduce food waste and emissions, and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable food system, executive director at New Zealand Food Waste Champions, Kaitlin Dawson said.

Some of New Zealand’s largest food businesses were involved, Dawson told The Country Sport Breakfast’s, Brian Kelly.

“Fonterra, Countdown, Goodman Fielder, Silver Fern Farms, Foodstuffs and Nestle are our initial signatories.”

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The agreement is also supported by the Ministry for the Environment.

Food waste was a significant problem in New Zealand, Dawson said.

“Landfilled food waste contributes to at least 4 per cent of our country’s total emissions.”

New Zealand Food Waste Champions’ mission was not only to accelerate the progress in halving food waste in Aotearoa by 2030 but also to develop a system “that valued every piece of food we produce,” Dawson said.

“As the Prime Minister said at our launch – Kiwis don’t want to waste food.”

Kai Commitment was one solution to help New Zealand towards that goal, Dawson said.

The initiative supports businesses that sign up to set targets, measure and act to prevent and reduce food waste across the supply chain.

Kai Commitment also offers an opportunity for collaboration between signatories to address complex issues across all supply chains, which can only be solved together.

Fonterra had been integral to the design and development of the initiative, Dawson said.

“Building Kai Commitment with businesses, and for businesses, was really important to us.

“It’s valuable that these businesses have been sharing their insights and their commitment to reducing food waste throughout this process.”

What set Kai Commitment apart was that the businesses involved could continue to shape the direction of the agreement - so it would be led by what food waste reduction projects they wanted to prioritise, Dawson said.

For Fonterra, this aligns well with the co-op’s Doing Good Together framework, which helps to put good quality nutrition in the hands of those who need it most.

“It also shows the commitment to being leaders in sustainability, by reducing waste to landfill and supporting local communities, while maximising the value of the food that they sell,” Dawson said.

Any business looking to reduce food waste is welcome to join Kai Commitment – find out more at kaicommitment.org.nz