Food Rescue
Our dedicated team of drivers and volunteers is rescuing more than 450,000 kilograms of edible food every year, food that otherwise would’ve ended up in landfill.
Food waste in landfill is a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. By rescuing edible food and diverting it from landfill, we are helping reduce those dangerous emissions.
With the help of over 100 food donors, we are rescuing more than 450,000 kilograms of edible food every year:
-food we then provide to people in need
-which is better for the environment with less damaging climate change emissions
Nothing ever goes to waste at Addi Road. If we don’t sell it, we repurpose it into nutritious meals to give away for free to people in need. And if any donation is not good enough to eat, we compost it for use on the gardens around our 9-acre Marrickville site.
The most significant climate action each of us can take is: to stop food going into landfill.
Here in Sydney, people are hungry while thousands of kilos of good food is thrown out every day.
At Addi Road we rescue food and fight hunger and make good food accessible to people experiencing food insecurity.
What do Best before and Use by dates mean?
The Food Authority of NSW sets out some useful guidance on the difference between ‘Best before’ and ‘Use-by’ dates.
‘Best before’
‘Best before’ means the date which signifies the end of the period during which the intact package of food, if stored in accordance with any stated storage conditions, will remain fully marketable and will retain any specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made.
Foods marked ‘best before’ are safe to be consumed after that date provided the food is otherwise fit for human consumption. These foods can be expected to retain their colour, taste, texture and flavour, provided they have been stored correctly.
Foods date marked ‘best before’ may be sold after this date, provided the food is not deteriorated or perished.
Examples of foods frequently marked ‘best before’ include canned foods, cereals, biscuits, sauces, chocolate, sugar, flour and frozen foods.
‘Use by’
‘Use by’ means the date, which signifies the end of the estimated period, if stored in accordance with any stated storage conditions, after which the intact package of food should not be consumed because of health and safety reasons. It is illegal to sell food, which has passed its ‘use by’ date:
A ‘use-by’ date tells the consumer the date by which the food must be eaten or thrown away. Food may be unsafe to eat after the ‘use-by’ date expires, even though spoiling may not be visible.
Nutrients in the food may become unstable after the ‘use-by’ date expires, which can have an adverse affect on the health of people who are ill or unable to eat typical food.
Foods date marked ‘use-by’ must not be sold after this date because the food could pose a health or safety risk.
Examples of foods frequently marked ‘use-by’ include perishables such as ready-to-eat chilled foods like smoked salmon, sliced ham, some small goods and shaved meats. They also include special dietary foods that provide the sole source of nutrition.
Food Rescue Alliance
We collaborate with the many community service organisations across the Sydney who provide daily food relief for their communities.
The Inner West Food Rescue Alliance, set up by Addi Road, determines ways that we can all work together to recover more surplus food, share equipment and resources and reach more people in need.
$20 billion of food wasted every year
Each year 3.6 million Australians (15%) experienced food insecurity. As a nation we waste $20 billion worth of food annually.
Food insecurity can negatively impact children in both the short and long term — their academic ability and health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The most affected are First Nations people (24%); unemployed people (23%); single parent households (23%); and low-income earners (20%).
Protecting food donors
The liability of individuals and businesses that donate food is protected by the Civil Liability Amendment (Food Donations) Act 2005, known as the Good Samaritan Act, as long as they meet certain food safety conditions:
- The food is donated in good faith for a charitable or benevolent purpose
- The food is safe to eat when it leaves the possession or control of the donor
- The donor gives the charity any information it needs to ensure the ongoing safety of the food
Food Donor Studies
A Project Evaluation and Food Donor Study of Addi Road’s War on Waste (WOW!) Food Inner West project can be viewed and downloaded from our Governance and Reports Page