Reducing food waste is a mission that the Foodprint team is truly passionate about. To raise awareness about this critical issue, we wanted to share what food waste means to us and why it’s at the heart of everything we do.
Our newest team member and Eatery Success Specialist, Alice, shared that she often refers to herself as an anti-waste fairy. “When I waste food (or anything really), I see all the energy, time, resources and labour that went into creating that item, and to just throw it away, breaks me. Maybe it comes from being a vegetarian in my youth, I just hate the idea that that animal spent so much time growing up for it to be thrown out”.
Robyn, our other Eatery Success Specialist often gets overwhelmed with negativity when thinking about the concept of food waste. She started working in a department store cafe, where they were not permitted to eat food made mistakenly, broken or leftover, and had to throw it away. “Even at 16, I felt the injustice of such wasteful behaviour. This has only grown throughout my life as a broke student studying Environmental Science and then working in a small bakery, toiling every day from 5 am to sometimes just throwing our unsold creations in the bin. With the current cost of living, every cent counts and any food wasted is a significant financial burden. When I truly grasp the concept of food waste and consumerism worldwide, it empowers me to take action and how much our behaviours need to change”.
Our passion for reducing food waste is why many of the team wanted to work at Foodprint. Our Marketing Manager, Emma has been a day one Foodprint fan. “I was in university when the app was first launched so I appreciated how I could get food that was usually out of my budget for a reduced price. I wanted to work at Foodprint because I felt as though so many people had yet to hear about the app and I really wanted to share it with others. I grew up on a farm where we don’t waste anything and grow a lot of our own food so we couldn’t let anything go to waste. Sustainability has always been something that I’ve been passionate about so Foodprint was a great fit”.
Mea who is our Business Development (BD) Specialist says her work at Foodprint is impactful and creates a sense of community. “As a BD my focus is helping business owners open up to an innovative way to reduce lost costs and keep themselves in a profitable and sustainable business. Growing up and helping run a family business is where this passion has been fostered”.
Michal, our Founder who leads the helm says
“Food waste has a massive environmental impact and it’s a problem that shouldn’t exist. Being able to empower others to prevent food waste in Aotearoa is what drives me.” To find out more about Michal’s story click here.
In addition to what food waste means to us, we wanted to share how we walk-the-walk in our daily lives.
Our teams’ top food waste tips:
Mea: “My hack for reducing food waste is to focus on sourcing your food from smaller local grocers and local markets that often cut out the middle suppliers. In doing so you reduce the energy and waste it takes for that food to be transported or held, thus bringing down costs and delivering a product that naturally stays fresher for longer”.
Alice: “I buy chicken thighs with the bone in, and I (much to my flatmate's aversion), get in there and de-bone the chicken, I then use the chicken bones and bits to make a quick stock. I use the stock as a liquid base to cook rice, throw the chicken thighs on top and you get a very quick what I call ‘cheats’ Hainanese chicken. Rice and steamed Chicken mmhmm.”
Robyn: “For me, it’s meal prepping. I have trained my neurodivergent brain to get used to preparing meals on a weekly basis, and not just eating what I fancy. I give it the variety it craves by including options in the freezer and allowing one day off where I can cook whatever I want. But mostly, I make sure to use only the ingredients I have brought that week, or leftovers from the last. Recently I also heard from an eatery that in their kitchen they do “Ready steady cook”. They see what ingredients they have that need using and invent new recipes and products to make. I LOVED this idea and want to incorporate it into my weekly shops. What do I have? What’s on Foodprint? What can I invent for my meals this week? I’ve got room in the freezer currently, so it’s time to get creative again!”
Emma: “I source all my meat via home kill. This way I can be sure of the animal's origins and it often cuts down the cost significantly. I also have my butcher cut the meat into small portions that are perfect for one or two people. This does of course mean I need to have access to a massive freezer.”
Michal: “I am a big fan of preserving seasonal fruits when they’re in abundance to ensure you have access to them year-round. This could be making jams and relishes, preserved lemons or even just throwing them in the freezer. This year I’ve been handing out citrus to all my friends as I have so much. I’ve also made about a year's supply of cleaning product with the rinds and vinegar.”
The Foodprint team are of course massive app fans. Some of us use Foodprint for our weekly shopping and we’re all rather partial to an office afternoon sweet treat.
Our favourite rescues:
Robyn: “Millet flour! This is an essential ingredient for making a lot of my gluten-free breads and doughs and it is very hard to find in New Zealand. GoodFor had some listed recently and you can bet I stocked up my cupboard! I also visited Wellington last month, one of my favourite foodie cities, and I finally got to try Le Ciel and Belen Vegan Bakery. They have amazing gluten-free goods so I can’t recommend them enough to the people of Wellington!”
Mea: “Donuts… I’ve saved a fair few items but I’m a sucker for a good donut from Doe Donuts”.
Alice: “I just bought Lamb Shanks from St Heliers Fours Square (no longer vegetarian). My mum used to make my brother and I the best slow-cooked Lamb Shanks - I need to ask her for the recipe. I think I will do the same this weekend and pair them with some green veg and creamy polenta (polenta from Good For - Stonefields)”.
Emma: “I love rescuing my arvo sweet treat from Mint Cakery”
Michal: “It’s too hard to choose! I think my favourite part is that 5 years in I’m still finding new places to rescue food from and loving every minute of it! ;)
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