Countdown and the Foodstuffs Group (New World, Four square, Pak’nsave) have both announced new products that aim to find tasty solutions to the problem of food waste.
Rescued, is taking leftover bread rescued from a number of Countdown bakeries and turning it into easy-to-make vanilla, chocolate, lemon & gin botanicals, and savoury baking mixes with customers encouraged to rescue their own fruit or vegetables and add them to the mix. Plain and rescued herb breadcrumbs, made from real bread, give customers another pantry staple that’s helping prevent food waste. The upcycled products are now available to purchase in a number of Auckland Countdown stores.
Meanwhile, Foodstuffs have announced they will be stocking LILO cheesecakes. LILO uses fruit which would otherwise not be exported due to being too small, misshapen, or under-ripe. The range will initially feature Central Otago Summer Fruit and Gisborne Lemon and Kiwi.
Owner and founder of Rescued, Diane Stanbra, says that it’s a massive milestone to be on the shelf in Countdown stores and turning what would otherwise be wasted food into delicious new products.
“When we first began our journey to tackle food waste in Aotearoa through upcycling, one of our biggest goals was to be selling our products in the same place we’re rescuing from – and we’ve done it! There are so many opportunities for reducing food waste to landfill through upcycling, and we’re really looking forward to what’s ahead.”
