Fifteen community organisations and businesses in Auckland have successfully secured Love Food Hate Waste grants totalling $60,000, with funding support from Auckland Council as part of our goal of zero waste by 2040.
Successful applicants demonstrated that their activities would support people to make the most of their kai and prevent food waste. Every year Kiwis waste over $3bn worth of food, and 4 per cent of total greenhouse gases come from food waste in landfills in New Zealand.
Individual grants ranged from $800 to $5,000 for a variety of projects, including workshops and a community pantry.
Common to almost all the initiatives is encouraging people to practice sustainable ways of living. These include activities such as:
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Making food and household budgets stretch further
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Practical learning opportunities like cooking classes and creating home gardens
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Storing food properly including how to can and preserve foods
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Creativity in meal planning and shopping
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Knowledge sharing within communities and across generations.
Many of these activities feature simple and practical solutions to reduce food waste.
With a similar emphasis on simple solutions, Love Food Hate Waste NZ is currently running a nationwide campaign called Eat Me First.
Love Food Hate Waste NZ is giving away ‘Eat Me First’ stickers to save people money and food. The reusable ‘Eat Me First’ sticker can be stuck to a shelf in your fridge, freezer or pantry to highlight what needs to be eaten first or simply label your food items and containers with a date to avoid them being forgotten and ultimately wasted.
Order your ‘Eat Me First’ stickers here and have them posted to you for a small postage fee, or pick them up from Woolworths or local partner for free. Enter your address to see the nearest local collection place.
For more information, head to https://lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz/, or head to Te Komititanga Square – Britomart, where a giant, gradually moulding, lamb chop sculpture will be displayed from until 7 June.
About Auckland Council and Love Food Hate Waste
Every year, Auckland Council awards grants to organisations educating people to make the most of their kai and prevent food waste. It does this as part of its support of Love Food Hate Waste, a nationwide movement highlighting the issue of preventable food waste and aiming to reduce the amount of edible food thrown out each year.
