ISSUE 61 — FEBRUARY 2022
The Melbourne Wholesale Market partners with FareShare The financial impacts of the Covid19 pandemic have seen an increase in food insecurity here in Australia, with estimates suggesting that three in ten Australians who are now experiencing food insecurity had not gone hungry before the pandemic. Further to this, 61% of food insecure Australians have accessed food relief since the beginning of the pandemic.
In view of these alarming statistics, Fresh State are pleased to announce our partnership with the Australian not-for-profit food rescue organisation — FareShare. FareShare strives for a community where no food is wasted, and no one goes hungry. To achieve this vision, FareShare rescues food that may otherwise go to waste and cooks it into free, nutritious meals for those experiencing hardship. The organisation runs Australia’s largest charity kitchens where they cook more than three million meals a year for vulnerable Australians. By transforming surplus food into delicious, ready-to-eat meals, FareShare reduces the amount of food going to landfill and provides immediate relief to people in need.
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The partnership, which was announced in December 2021, will help recognise the generous amounts of produce donated to food charities by the wholesalers within the Melbourne market. Jason Cooper, Fresh State CEO has said "the partnership is expected to result in a re-distribution of donated produce, not incremental donations. The wholesalers already donate a generous amount. We want to see donations evenly distributed to charities within the market to ensure the organisations’ can realise their vision". The collaboration will allow for more consistency in the supply of fresh produce to FareShare which is needed to expand the facility and ensure continual distribution of meals. By donating surplus or imperfect food the generous wholesalers at the Melbourne Market are directly helping feed those doing it tough, as well as making an environmental impact through waste reduction.
