Foodprint is helping South Canterbury reduce its carbon footprint.
The app has just launched in the area, with Arthur St Kitchen, PiqueNique Cafe, Replenish Cafe, and U-Bake already on board selling surplus food at discounted rates to prevent food waste.
Foodprint founder and director Michal Garvey said food waste was a substantive contributor to the climate crisis, accounting for up to 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
Miss Garvey said while the Timaru district had had the threebin system in place since 2006, which made food waste into compost for local gardens, there was still a need for the app in South Canterbury.
Miss Garvey said making the waste into compost was ‘‘astronomically better’’ than leaving it to emit methane in a landfill.
However, compost would still emit some methane and carbon dioxide.
She said the app focused on preventing food from becoming waste.
‘‘Food that is edible only belongs in one place, and that is in our bellies.’’
Nationwide, ‘‘we’ve found that eateries average in excess of 1000kg of surplus food per annum with a retail value in excess of $10,000,’’ she said.
‘‘If this food is sent to landfill that accounts for 2600kg of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, from food that should be used to feed people.
‘‘In both a cost of living and climate crisis, there is simply no good reason to waste food.’’
Customers would receive push notifications when their favourite eateries had food in need of ‘‘rescue’’, with generous discounts of 30-90% off, which they could buy within the app and collect before closing.
That prevented food from potentially ending up as waste while supporting local businesses at the same time.
Miss Garvey said she was delighted to receive the support and recognition from Environment Canterbury to bring Foodprint to the region much sooner than she otherwise could have done.
Pierogi Joint in Christchurch has used the app since July 2022.
Owner Kate Grater said not only had it eliminated waste, but they had ‘‘met so many new customers through Foodprint that would not have found us otherwise’’.
‘‘It’s actually a great marketing tool’’.
Eateries that are interested in joining the platform can get in touch via foodprint.app and customers can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
