The social value of rescuing food, nourishing communities

About this resource: FoodShare, a New Zealand food redistribution enterprise served as a case study for research exploring the social value of such enterprises seeking longer-term solutions to food insecurity and food waste. Semi-structured interviews and an online survey, with questions based on a social value evaluation tool, were used to demonstrate the impact of food rescue enterprises. The perceived social value varied depending on the stakeholder’s association with FoodShare. For food donors, outcomes included “more involved relationships with community”, and “improved perceptions of corporate social responsibility”. Identified key outcomes for the financial donors included “key promotional opportunity” and “doing something good”. For recipient agencies, important outcomes were “greater volume of food” and “increased reach”. Volunteers reported “meeting new people”, “a sense of accomplishment in helping others” and “learning new skills”. There were also nutritional and environmental benefits for the wider community. This research provides a novel perspective on the societal value created by redistributing unsold food to people in need.

Food Waste Innovation Authors: Miranda Mirosa

Citation: Mirosa, M., Mainvil, L., Horne, H. & Mangan-Walker, E. (2016) The social value of rescuing food, nourishing communities. British Food Journal, 118(12), 3044-3058.