Climate Change Is Hungry And Food Waste Is Feeding It: Kiwi Food Rescue App Set To Launch In Nelson Tasman Region

Kiwi food rescue app, Foodprint, has its sights set on Nelson Tasman as they continue to expand throughout Aotearoa. The app, which partners with local eateries as a platform to sell surplus food in order to prevent food waste and its associated emissions, will be live in the region from 21st March.

In Aotearoa, almost 50,000 tonnes of food is wasted by the hospitality and retail sectors each year, over 60 percent of which is still edible. When wasted food decomposes in landfill, it emits the greenhouse gas methane, making food waste a huge contributor to the climate crisis.

The app that launched in Auckland in 2019, is on a mission to change this by providing a platform for eateries to list surplus food for a generous discount of 30-90% off. Customers can ‘rescue’ this food by purchasing it within the app and collecting it before the eatery closes that same day. This not only prevents food from potentially ending up as waste, but also supports local businesses at the same time.

Foodprint has partnered with around 20 eateries across the Nelson Tasman region including Hatties, Cafe, Blackbird Eatery, The Function Room, Greenmeadows Cafe, Haroo Sushi, Street Food on Washington and GoodFor. They join the community of 350 eateries in the Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch regions, reducing their ‘foodprint’ by using the app.

“Addressing food waste has been identified as one of the top actions we need to take to combat the climate crisis” says Foodprint’s Founder, Michal Garvey “...we are delighted to be adding Nelson Tasman to Foodprint. We know that the region has already experienced the impacts of climate change first-hand, so being able to provide a platform to empower the community to do their bit to combat climate change by rescuing food, is exciting.”

Last year, Foodprint was awarded a Waste Minimisation Grant by the Nelson City Council to support its launch in the City. “A huge thanks to the Nelson City Council for their support to have our service offered in their City” says Garvey. The Councils Group Manager Infrastructure, Alec Louverdis commented “Foodprint is just the sort of initiative our Rethink Waste Whakaarohia grants programme seeks to encourage and support. Giving businesses an outlet to offer their end-of-day product direct to the customer at reduced prices is a great way to lower the amount of food waste going in the bin, while benefiting those businesses and their customers at the same time.”

Cafe operators have praised Foodprint for its ease of use, sustainability and the support it provides in reaching new customers. Owner of Hamilton’s Fior di Latte, Gloria Parini says “Foodprint is not only a great app to reduce carbon emissions, it makes our lives easier in terms of food waste control, which is always one of the biggest problems in any hospitality business. Foodprint is a massive marketing channel that brings to the shop new people that usually we are unable to reach. Smart payments and a very intuitive and user-friendly interface makes Foodprint a must-have for every cafe/restaurant/deli.”

Foodprint has received both international and domestic recognition for its purpose, UX design and sustainability credentials.

Eateries that are interested in joining the platform can get in touch via foodprint.app and customers can download the app free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Foodprint:

Take a bite at saving the planet.

Foodprint empowers New Zealand consumers to take action against climate change and provides a useful tool for the hospitality sector to reduce their food waste and market to new customers.

Globally one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. Food that ends up in landfill decomposes and emits the greenhouse gas methane, which is damaging for our environment.

In New Zealand, cafes, restaurants and supermarkets produce 50 000 tonnes of food waste. Over 60% of this is completely avoidable.*

More than 350 eateries are signed up to the Foodprint app, across Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch.

Recognition for Foodprint

Westpac Business Awards (Auckland Central) - Finalist, People's Choice, 2022

Global Entrepreneurship Network - Finalist, Entrepreneur of the Year, 2022

#1 Apple App Store New Zealand - 2022

The New Zealand Herald Our Heroes - Founder, Michal Garvey 2021

Auckland University 40 Under 40 - Founder, Michal Garvey, 2021

The Circle Awards AUS & NZ - Finalist, Food & Drink, 2021

Agtech Breakthrough Awards, United States - Direct to Consumer Service of the Year, 2020

Good Design Awards - Gold Winner, Digital Apps & Software, Australia, 2020

Best Design Awards - Gold Winner, Digital Product Design, 2020

Best Design Awards - Silver Winner, Public Good, 2020

Sustainable Business Awards - Finalist, Going Circular & Good Food, 2020

© Scoop Media