Enlarge image
Source: iStock
What is this investigation about?
Food waste is a major issue in New Zealand. As a nation, we waste an estimated $872 million worth of food a year. That represents 122,500 tonnes of food sent to landfills—enough to feed everyone in Dunedin for two years.
Members of the Environment Committee are concerned about this, and decided to invite briefings from various organisations and individuals to find out more, and investigate what can be done.
This is not a formal inquiry. Instead, the focus is on learning. Through a targeted briefing process and a cross-party approach, the committee hopes to better understand the issues. By understanding what the challenges are and what solutions might exist, the committee hopes to find workable ways of preventing, or at least reducing, food loss and waste.
The Environment Committee aims to end up with some recommendations for future action.
What does it involve?
The committee is considering the following questions:
- The food waste problem
- How much food is lost or wasted in New Zealand?
- What is the environmental impact of food waste?
- What is the economic and social impact of food loss or waste?
- Preventing food waste
- What are effective methods to prevent food loss or waste in agricultural production, manufacturing, hospitality, food service sectors, retail sectors, and households?
- What are the challenges for putting these methods in place?
- Redistributing food waste
- What are effective methods for redistributing food waste to people?
- What are effective methods for converting food waste to animal feed?
- What are the challenges for putting these methods in place?
As the first step in gathering information, the committee has targeted around 30 organisations and individuals that are involved in some way with the food sector, or with food waste. It has written seeking their views on the issues, challenges, and possible approaches.
It hopes in this way to hear from a broad and full range of perspectives, both from within New Zealand and internationally.
The committee intends to appoint an independent specialist adviser to assist it with research and analysis. The Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries will also provide some support and attend the hearings.
What happens next?
Over the next several months the committee will consider the perspectives presented in written and oral submissions. It will also visit other main centres to visit some of the organisations involved in food waste and food rescue in New Zealand.
Dates and venues for hearings on the briefing will be published in the select committee meeting schedule.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change at short notice. You are welcome to contact the committee secretariat at en@parliament.govt.nz for confirmation of meeting times.