With World Food Day soon approaching, we talked to Gavin Findlay, CEO of The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), about what World Food Day means to the organisation, plus the amazing work NZFN do all year round in Aotearoa.
Gavin Findlay
‘Leave NO ONE behind’ is the theme for World Food Day 2022 (16th October). With the ongoing effects of the pandemic, rising living costs and the climate crisis, our global food security is being impacted. For Findlay and NZFN, World Food Day is a day to bring awareness to these issues and ensure that no one is left behind.
“We believe it is our collective responsibility to improve the state of food security in our communities by helping everyone in New Zealand have access to good food,” expressed Findlay.
“Access to nutritious food can be particularly challenging for those struggling to make ends meet and this lack of food security has an impact on a range of physical and mental health issues.”
NZFN was founded to get food to where it’s needed most. The organisation channels bulk volumes of good, nutritious surplus food from food producers and growers and distributes it (free of charge) to food rescue organisations, iwi and charities across New Zealand.
“We also provide the network and logistics for organisations wishing to gift food donations in bulk to communities in need. To help address this, the NZFN has sought out partners to enable us to source a range of fresh and healthy foods including fruit and vegetables, dairy and protein.”
The NZFN’s mission is to help combat the logistical and infrastructure issues that have traditionally limited food supply into food insecure communities and to work together with businesses and food charities to ensure we get food to where it’s needed most. These issues include both a lack of on-site storage infrastructure and challenges coordinating pick-ups of bulk food, which can see community organisations having to turn away large food donations.
Findlay explained that pre-pandemic, in October 2019, it was reported that half a million Kiwis were living without reliable, daily access to affordable and nutritious food. Two years later and demand for food support from our community food hubs has more than doubled.
How Can Local Businesses Help?
“We are always on the lookout for more food donors. Bringing in more food, either rescued or donated, means we can support even more hungry Kiwis in need. If you are a food business with surplus food and not sure what to do with it, then we can help and prevent this good food from going to waste.”
The NZFN makes it easy, with one simple point of contact, you can rest assured knowing your good, nutritious food is being used for the purpose it was created for and will be going to where it is needed most.
“World Food Day is important in our industry as it helps to bring awareness to the rising demand for food support that we see everyday in our communities but is not always visible to the general public,” noted Findlay.
“Following the impact of COVID-19 the demand has continued to climb, so World Food Day is a great opportunity to encourage more food businesses to do the right thing with their surplus food and celebrate their efforts, in turn helping improve food security in our communities and reducing the negative impact of food waste ending up in landfill.”
If you would like to find out more about New Zealand Food Network you can visit nzfoodnetwork.org.nz or contact hello@nzfoodnetwork.org.nz to speak to a member of the team.
