Kantar New Zealand Food Waste Survey, May 2021

Are Kiwis becoming more waste conscious?

The new Rabobank-KiwiHarvest Food Waste Research highlights:

• New Zealanders are now wasting less of their food than in 2019 with the estimated percentage of food waste falling to 8.6 per cent from 10.2 per cent previously.
• But the estimated value of food waste across all New Zealand households has grown to $2.4 billion per year as a result of higher food prices, increased spend on household food and a greater number of households.
• Fruit and vegetables are the most frequently-wasted food items, while ‘wasted money’ is New Zealanders’ most pressing food-waste concern.
• The proportion of food wasted by Kiwis differs markedly across age groups, with younger New Zealanders wasting a significantly-higher proportion of their household food spend than older Kiwis.

Worldwide, around 40% of all food produced doesn’t make it to people’s plates. Food waste also contributes to green-house gas emissions, and it squanders the water, land and energy used to grow it.

Rabobank is on a mission to do something about food waste. Naturally, we have a deep interest in knowing the food produced by the New Zealand businesses we work with goes where it really belongs, on people‘s plates.

We’re getting involved in projects and initiatives to make a positive difference. We know our Rabobank Online Savers care about this issue, so we’ll keep you updated with news and ideas. Together we will tackle the problem of food waste.