Championing the fight against food waste
Food is a basic human need and COVID-19 has brought this to light more than ever, with food banks across the country seeing record demand since the pandemic struck. Many food rescue and charity groups, such as ‘Meat the Need’ sprang into action during Level 4 lockdown, redistributing food to food banks to ensure access to good food for all. However, there was still huge amounts of perishable food wasted, with access to the normal distribution channels stopped.
Even without a pandemic creating extra food waste, in New Zealand, we waste over 157,000 tonnes of food, worth $1.16 billion, every year. With the economic fall-out predicted as a result of COVID-19 it is even more imperative our food is not wasted, and we ensure everyone has access to a healthy food supply including fresh vegetables and quality protein.
In New Zealand, a coalition of champions from across the food supply chain have come together to form NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3 with a goal to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)12.3* to halve food waste by 2030. Tessa Vincent, the Champions 12.3 Co-ordinator, has organised a petition to present to the newly elected Government, to ask them to commit to the SDG12.3 goal to halve food waste by 2030. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc. support efforts to reduce food waste locally to achieve this global goal and have put their support behind this petition.
WasteMINZ has led some great work to reduce food waste in New Zealand and we have an opportunity to lead the world both in sustainable food production and food waste prevention. However Australia, the United States, and the UK all have national food waste reduction targets already, but New Zealand is lagging behind, so more reason to get behind the petition.
Each of us can play a role in reducing food waste and make a difference and Love Food Hate Waste provides some great ideas on how we can do this in the home. However, national food waste targets can encourage widespread change and lead to wins environmentally, economically and socially, so another way to show your support is to click the link below to sign this petition.
*SDG 12.3 states - By 2030, halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
References
FAO. (2011). Global food losses and food waste – Extent, causes and prevention. Rome. Retrieved (September 2020) from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2697e.pdf
FAO. (2012) Food wastage footprint & Climate Change. Retrieved (September 2020) from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-bb144e.pdf , citing EC, JRC/ PBL, 2012 Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research, version 4.2.
Project Drawdown. Table of Solutions. Retrieved (September 2020) from: https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/table-of-solutions,
WasteMinz. (2015). New Zealand Food Waste Audits, Retrieved (September 2020) from: https://www.wasteminz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Final-1-0-New-Zealand-Food-Waste-Audit-Report-2015.pdf