Tessa Vincent

Food has value. 

Food is a precious resource. It is vital for good health, cultural expression and connecting people during social interactions. Food businesses are also crucial to the economic fabric of many countries, including New Zealand. Yet, one-third of the food we produce is lost or wasted from farm to fork. 

This leads to a number of environmental, economic and social consequences:

Environmentally, food waste contributes to 8% of our global greenhouse gas emissions. Leaving food to rot in landfill generates methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas. Producing uneaten food also wastes water, energy, land and fertiliser. For these reasons, tackling food waste has been ranked as the third best action we can take to combat climate change. 

Economically, food waste can mean unnecessary costs for farmers, companies and households. Globally, wasted food amounts to economic losses of US $940 billion per year. The average family in New Zealand throws out three shopping trolleys of food each year, equating to $644. Tackling these issues can lead to savings for households – and a potential 14:1 return on investment for business. 

Socially, the inequity of our food system is highlighted by food waste. One in nine people in the world are undernourished and one in eight children in New Zealand experience material hardship. Supporting methods like food rescue, which redistribute surplus food to people in need, can help resolve some of these social challenges.

If businesses, governments and communities all work together, we may be able to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030.

Some options to achieve this global target and inspire food waste reduction include: 

1. Setting a New Zealand Food Waste Reduction Target in line with the SDG Target 12.3. This is likely to lead to measurement by the food industry against the target, to demonstrate progress. 

2. Engaging businesses in a voluntary agreement to reduce food loss or waste. For example, the Courtauld Commitment in the United Kingdom contributed to a reduction in food waste levels by nearly 27% during a 10 year period

3. Investing in upcycled foods, which means creating new products out of waste streams. For example, a German fashion designer has started making clothes from surplus milk and the Bioresource Processing Alliance in New Zealand is supporting similar initiatives.

4. Investing in consumer campaigns, such as Love Food Hate Waste, which have been proven as effective models to raise consumer awareness and encourage the uptake food waste reduction tips such as freezing food, shopping with a list and using left-overs. 

A collaborative approach is needed – which is why 12 New Zealand Food Waste Champions were born over a year ago on 12.3.2020, to accelerate progress towards SDG 12.3 and halve food waste across the whole food value chain. The SDGs guide our mission and underpin our vision of He Taonga Te Kai: an Aotearoa where food has value and isn’t wasted. 

Everyone has a role to play and we hope you can get behind SDG 12.3.