One of Australia’s leading food rescue operations, SecondBite, seeks to broaden its business connections to bolster their environmental, social, and governance goals.
Newly-appointed CEO Daniel Moorfield is already propelling forward with ambitions to safeguard the environment and eradicate hunger and food waste, despite his recent assumption of the role. He highlights the staggering reality that one in five Australians face food insecurity, a number that’s swelling by at least 20% during these challenging times.
Currently, out of the 7.6 million tonnes of food waste generated nationally, SecondBite diverts a modest fraction, translating to roughly 50 million meals annually. While Coles remains a major supporter, Moorfield envisions further expansion, recognizing food rescue’s environmental benefits.
He advocates for businesses to enhance their sustainability efforts by donating surplus food, thereby supporting charities and allowing them to concentrate on their fundamental services. Since its 2005 inception, SecondBite has collaborated with over 1100 charities and 1500 food donors, delivering over 250 million meals, with operations extending across major cities and partnerships in Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
The challenge of quantifying carbon emissions persists, particularly with the organization’s primary focus on preventing food waste from clogging landfills. Despite the complexities, Moorfield emphasizes the need for efficiency and the environmental advantages of scaling operations, such as reducing emissions through streamlined transportation logistics.
SecondBite stands tall among peers like FoodBank and OzHarvest, but Moorfield dismisses the notion of competition, underscoring a unified front in advocating for improved food rescue processes. He acknowledges the necessity for a holistic approach, involving supermarkets, suppliers, manufacturers, and food rescue entities in a collaborative network.
Moorfield sees SecondBite’s role as pivotal in aiding companies to meet sustainability and food waste reduction targets and invites businesses to join the journey. Furthermore, he underscores the indirect benefits for charities, which can allocate funds saved through food rescue to other critical services. However, he concedes there’s no easy fix, pointing to the need for a comprehensive network to combat these challenges effectively.
This article originally appeared on The Fifth Estate and was reproduced with proper attribution to the original source.
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