It might be more widely talked about than ever, but food waste still brings with it some alarming stats.

In Australia, 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted each year, 70 per cent of which is perfectly edible. In the same timeframe in New Zealand, NZ$1.17 billion of food is thrown out.

There’s a lot that can be done within the hospitality and healthcare catering sectors to reduce the amount of food sent to garbage, which is why Bunzl has a longstanding partnership with leading Australian food waste charity OzHarvest.

This partnership has been underpinned by several important initiatives between the two organisations, such as Bunzl’s 2020 contribution of the equivalent of 100,000 meals for underprivileged families.

This year has seen the two partners team up again during the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, with Bunzl helping the charity on its food-rescue mission.

OzHarvest’s innovative approach continues to have an impact on reducing waste and helping those in need.

The charity’s Cooking for a Cause program, for example, sees groups of eight or more keen cooks learn how to make restaurant-grade food from a selection of rescue ingredients during a half-day experience, and has proved very popular with corporate groups as a teambuilding exercise – including Bunzl’s APAC leaders.

“Led by the masters of zero-waste cooking, you’ll learn how to chop an onion properly and cook root to stem, as you create a range of delicious and nutritious meals,” says OzHarvest CEO and founder Ronni Kahn. “Teams also help pack the food ready to deliver to local charities and [the] impact can be seen immediately through the number of meals created, which is often well over 100 portions!”

Bunzl has committed to building a more sustainable future, and is proud to partner with OzHarvest.