Fresh Food Rescue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well last year Woolworths donated 2,247 tones of food to food relief charity partners, which was used to make more then two million meals for those in need. 

Each year households, retailers, restaurants and businesses throw out millions of tonnes of food which then finds its way into landfill sites. Often this food is of good quality and can easily be rescued and turned into nutritious, meals for the needy or vulnerable in our society.

The Woolworths Fresh Food Rescue program aims to rescue surplus fresh food from the waste stream and turn it into meals for the needy. This extensive program will help address an underlying social problem in Australia.

View the community groups that received Fresh Food Rescue grants in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. 

Woolworths recognises it has a significant role in ensuring that fresh edible food, which for various reasons cannot be sold, is put to the best possible use by turning it into meals. To do this, many Woolworths stores across the country currently work with organisations such as Foodbank, OzHarvest, FareShare, The Salvation Army and SecondBite. However, these organisations only have limited resources to collect and distribute the rescued fresh food that is so desperately required.

The Woolworths Fresh Food Rescue campaign supports these food relief charities in many ways:

1) Expanding fresh food rescue from Woolworths stores to food relief charities. Already, more then 500 Woolworths supermarkets are rescuing surplus fresh food, which would otherwise go to landfill. Woolworths aims to substantially increase its partnerships with local food relief charities and soup kitchens and is actively seeking new community partners to work with stores right across the country.

2) Building additional capacity through a major grants scheme. In 2011, Woolworths contributed $2 million to help charity groups expand their operations and ensure thousands more people can access healthy, nutritious food. More than 100 food relief charities benefited from infrastructure grants for vital items, such as vans, refrigerators, freezers and kitchen equipment.
 

3) Prior to Christmas 2011 Woolworths donated $50,000, shared between 11 of our key partners, to provide important support during a particularly busy time for these partners.

With an ambitious target to reduce organic waste to zero by the year 2015, the ultimate aim is to have all 860 supermarkets in local partnerships. Local organisations who are keen to be part of the Fresh Food Rescue program should speak to their local Woolworths store manager.